Irina "Zemlia" Sukhanova It's no coincidence that news topics on the Internet are compared to a virus. They appear suddenly, infecting one person after another, turning into a digital epidemic, and then... the virus disappears, leaving only an echo of memories. The latest strain of the information virus is the clicker game Hamster Kombat.
Some hate it, while others call the phenomenon the rise of a new star, but the popularity of the title is astounding. To understand this phenomenon, we will explain what Hamster Kombat is and whether it truly is a rising star.
Click and get dopamine
Image: rcdubrovino.com
The clicker game is not a new genre. Such entertainment has been around for a long time but gained popularity in 2013 with the release of the browser title Cookie Clicker. The premise is very simple: click on a cookie, earn points, and spend them on skins, upgrades, automatic cookie harvesting. Thus, Pandora's box was opened…
Hundreds and thousands of similar projects started to emerge. But why do people enjoy such primitive entertainment? The answer is so simple that it's almost disappointing — it's all about psychology. When a person achieves a positive result, they receive a happiness hormone — dopamine. That’s why we love games! Defeating difficult bosses, collecting loot, and winning against opponents — all these activities generate dopamine.
Image: Ensigame
However, the brain often doesn’t care whether the boss is defeated in Elden Ring or if a point is earned by a single click in Hamster Kombat. The joy hormone will still be produced, albeit in different quantities. So why bother with complex tasks when you can just tap the screen? A constant source of dopamine for minimal effort — that's the secret of clicker games.
Why is Hamster Kombat popular?
Does the new project offer us a unique experience? No. The title is essentially very primitive. The player earns in-game currency by clicking and then spends it to earn even more points.
Among similar projects, some are more interesting, such as Cell to Singularity. By simply tapping the screen, the user can explore the path of evolution of all life on Earth and learn many new things. Now that’s truly cool!
Image: Ensigame
So why Hamster Kombat specifically? Another psychological factor played a role in the game's popularity — word of mouth. The information virus was launched not by players but by the authors themselves. The idea is simple but effective — they hinted at real profits.
In-game currency might not attract everyone, but cryptocurrency acts like a magnet for people. The creators merely mentioned that points in Hamster Kombat could be exchanged for cryptocurrency and real money. That was enough for the audience to start tapping the screen en masse.
Image: Ensigame
And that’s the whole phenomenon. There’s no hidden secret. Can you make money in Hamster Kombat? We won’t speculate on this topic since no one promised anything. Perhaps we have indeed witnessed the rise of a new Internet star, one that will be on every smartphone. But morning stars fade quickly.
Main image: gazeta.ru
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