Tap-to-Web3: How Telegram Games Are Changing the TON Ecosystem and Blockchain Industry

Social gaming is a category of gaming projects that can be accessed through social platforms and communication applications. Examples include games such as Diamond Dash on Facebook or poker games on Discord. These games are usually integrated into the social network interface and use the player's contact base to expand their audience. Users publicly display their results and invite friends to spend time together, receiving rewards for this.

Social gaming began to gain popularity in Telegram after the integration of mini-apps that allow you to launch third-party services directly in the messenger. These games are connected to Web3 due to the presence of tokens, the use of NFTs, and support for transactions in TON.

Notcoin is the most popular Web3 game in Telegram, launched in early 2024. It is a classic "clicker" where players receive rewards for tapping the screen. In May 2024, the NOT token was launched, converting user points into digital assets on the TON blockchain. By June 2024, the project reached 40 million registered accounts.

Catizen became the winner of the fourth season of The Open League initiative. In June 2024, the project attracted almost 10 million Telegram users and reached 250,000 UAW. It offers more diverse gameplay compared to other clickers and uses the Play-to-Airdrop concept with a future token launch.

YesCoin offers a Notcoin-style game, replacing the clicker mechanics with a swiper. In the fourth season of The Open League, YesCoin took second place, attracting almost 15 million users and 141,000 UAW.

Game apps on Telegram attract users due to several factors:

- Incentives and reward expectations: Many games use the Play-to-Airdrop strategy, promising to convert in-game assets into tradable tokens.

- Social component: Leaders, referral links, and social interaction elements increase user engagement.

- Simple gameplay: Most mini-apps offer simple and accessible gameplay.

- App Availability: Telegram is used by over 950 million people, and most of them can launch games directly in the messenger.

Coordinated support for blockchain-based mini-apps from Telegram and the TON ecosystem is driving the growth of both projects. In July 2024, Pavel Durov reported 950 million monthly active users on Telegram, up 50 million since the spring. TON has seen a similar increase in activity, with the number of transactions increasing from 24 million in January 2024 to 157 million in July, and the number of new accounts reaching a record 11 million.

The TON team has announced a goal of attracting 30% of Telegram users to the Web3 industry by 2028, which is approximately 500 million people. Social gaming can be an important tool for achieving this goal, offering users a simple and convenient interface for interacting with digital assets. However, it is important to consider that most popular gaming projects on Telegram do not yet have direct integration with the blockchain infrastructure, which limits their potential for full user engagement in Web3.

Social gaming on Telegram has great potential to attract new users to the TON ecosystem and Web3 as a whole. Gaming applications offer a simple and accessible way to interact with digital assets, which can help popularize blockchain technologies among a wider audience. However, to achieve long-term success and sustainable growth, deeper integration with the blockchain infrastructure and the creation of incentives for active user participation in Web3 are necessary.