The Iranian authorities objected to the blockchain game ‘Hamster Kombat’ as a soft power tool
The rise in popularity of the play-to-earn blockchain game “Hamster Kombat” has drawn sharp criticism from Iranian government officials and hardline opponents, who say the simple play-to-earn plumbing game is a tool of soft power intended by Western governments.
Habibolah Sayyari, the deputy commander of Iran's armed forces, said the game was aimed at distracting the Iranian people from the country's upcoming elections. Sayyari's comments were echoed by religious authority Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, who described the entire field of cryptocurrencies as a scam.
The Blockchain Game: An Economic Lifeline for Developing Countries?
These comments by Iranian officials ignore the dire financial situation that many Iranians find themselves in as the country is besieged by Western sanctions and hyperinflation. For a deeper look into Iran's economic woes, the current exchange rate is 1 US dollar to 580,000 Iranian Rials.
Related: Iran to launch public CBDC pilot in June
Poor economic conditions like these have led to the rise of blockchain games in developing countries. The NFT game Axie Infinity is a case study of this new phenomenon. At its peak, Axie players reported earning up to $1,300 a month playing the game – a significant source of income in developing countries.
Although the entry fee to play Axie is relatively high, organized gaming guilds are developing ways for players in developing countries to recoup the costs of playing Axie and other blockchain games, giving guild members huge profits.
Blockchain game is still far from mainstream.
Although the number of Web3 games in developing countries is increasing, blockchain gaming still lags behind traditional games and is far from mainstream adoption.
A recent OnePoll survey found that 52% of respondents had never heard of a blockchain game, and 32% said they knew about blockchain games but had never played them.
These numbers suggest both a huge untapped market but also reflect problems with pay-to-play games, such as a real token utility and a lack of quality game mechanics to compete with console and PC games.
Magazine: Why join the Blockchain Gaming Association? Create fun, profitable and better games.
