From Play to Earn to Tap to Earn: Reflections on the Evolution of Blockchain Game Models Triggered by the Popularity of Notcoin

The popularity of Notcoin has revealed the immense potential of the Tap to Earn model. The simple click operation allows users to earn in-game rewards, and this easy and enjoyable way to make money has quickly gained popularity, attracting a large number of users. With its soaring market value and significant increase in trading volume, the Tap to Earn model has become the new favorite in blockchain gaming projects. How has the gaming model evolved from Play to Earn to X to Earn? What are the reasons behind the popularity of Tap to Earn? Is this shift leading a new trend in the blockchain gaming market? This article will attempt to outline and analyze the evolution of the gaming model from Play to Earn to Tap to Earn.

1. What is Blockchain Gaming?

Blockchain gaming, also known as GameFi (Game Finance), is a game based on blockchain technology. It applies blockchain technology to games, using smart contracts and decentralized technology to put game assets, rules, logic, and asset transactions on the blockchain, creating a decentralized, trustworthy, verifiable, and tradable gaming model. GameFi integrates DeFi and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), gamifying the rules of DeFi and turning game items and derivatives into NFTs, thereby giving all assets, items, and characters in the game uniqueness and collectability.

GameFi is not only a product of the combination of blockchain technology and the gaming industry but also a revolution against traditional gaming profit models. Through decentralization, transparency, and security, GameFi not only enhances the entertainment value of games but also grants players true digital ownership, allowing them to achieve real economic benefits through earned tokens, items, and NFTs. This model breaks the convention that game assets only belong to game developers, allowing players to realize wealth gains through gaming.

2. How Does Blockchain Gaming Work?

Each GameFi project has different models and gaming economies, but most in-game assets are NFTs on the blockchain that can be traded directly in NFT markets. In-game assets often create benefits for players, allowing them to earn more rewards. For example, many assets can be staked or lent to gain more returns by completing tasks.

Specifically, the operational model of GameFi includes the following aspects:

1. In-game rewards: Players earn cryptocurrencies, virtual land, avatars, weapons, clothing items, and other in-game assets through gameplay. These rewards come in various forms, increasing the fun and challenge of the game.

2. Asset trading: Most in-game assets are NFTs that can be traded directly in NFT markets. This allows players to not only enjoy the game but also earn real profits through trading virtual assets. In some projects, in-game assets need to be converted into NFTs before they can be sold or traded.

3. Tasks and battles: Players can typically earn rewards by completing tasks, battling other players, or building monetized structures on their owned plots. These activities enhance the interactivity and competitiveness of the game, enabling players to earn more through their efforts.

4. Staking and lending: In certain games, players can stake or lend their game assets to other players, earning passive income without playing the game. This model increases the liquidity and revenue avenues of game assets.

5. Decentralized governance: Some GameFi projects have also introduced DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) mechanisms, allowing players to participate in the development and decision-making of the game, enhancing players' sense of involvement and belonging through voting and governance mechanisms.

3. From Play to Earn to X to Earn

The Play to Earn model, represented by Axie Infinity, laid the foundation for blockchain gaming, where players earn rewards by playing games. With the rise of Move to Earn projects like StepN, the X to Earn model has gradually evolved into a broad narrative space. The common feature of these models is that players earn rewards by participating in different types of activities, stimulating the idea that "everything can earn money."

Play to Earn (P2E)

Players earn cryptocurrencies or NFT rewards by playing games, which they can then sell in the market for real profits. The representative project, Axie Infinity, allows players to earn cryptocurrencies or NFT rewards by playing the game, which they can then sell in the market for real profits.

Early blockchain gaming projects primarily focused on attracting players through simple game mechanics. However, this model gradually exposed some issues, such as insufficient gameplay and unstable token economies. Over time, P2E blockchain games began to introduce more complex economic systems and diversified gameplay to enhance the game's attractiveness and sustainability. For example, The Sandbox and Decentraland introduced virtual real estate and content creation mechanisms, allowing players to earn tokens through gameplay and profit from creating and trading virtual assets.

Move to Earn (M2E)

Players earn in-game rewards by engaging in actual physical activities, combining health and exercise. The representative project, StepN, rewards users with GST tokens by tracking their actual movements (such as walking or running) and introduces an NFT shoe system, allowing players to purchase, upgrade, and trade NFT shoes. Ultimately, M2E games are essentially P2E games, with the gameplay centered around physical activity.

Watch to Earn (W2E)

Users earn rewards by watching various types of content, such as videos, advertisements, movie trailers, and promotional clips, gaining revenue from the attention economy. For example, Cheelee is a short video platform with a Watch to Earn mechanism that pays all users who watch content, aiming to enable all users to earn money on social networks.

Tap to Earn (T2E)

Players earn rewards through simple click operations. The representative project is Notcoin, which allows users to earn tokens through simple clicks and adds social sharing and invitation reward mechanisms to enhance user engagement and spread. The T2E model has quickly gained popularity due to its simple operation and ease of entry, emphasizing light entertainment and quick feedback, making it suitable for fragmented time play. According to CMC data, as of June 20, the market value of Notcoin tokens has exceeded $1.6 billion, ranking 53rd. The 24-hour trading volume exceeded $500 million, ranking 14th, making it undoubtedly the hottest blockchain gaming project at present.

Other Representative Tap to Earn Games

Hamster Kombat: Players continuously increase coins by clicking on the mobile screen, with the expectation that coins will convert into tokens. Within just three months of its launch, the game's Twitter followers soared to 8.55 million, and the Telegram group had up to 200,000 members, showcasing the strong dissemination and appeal of the Tap to Earn model.

Catizen: Through a Telegram bot, players can combine two low-level cats into a higher-level cat to attract more guests to earn money. This light gaming model is simple and direct, with high virality.

Based on the Play to Earn economic model, various X to Earn models have gradually emerged, broadly referring to any behavior that generates income in Web3, such as Learn to Earn, Drive to Earn, Write to Earn, Sing to Earn, Sleep to Earn, Eat to Earn, etc. By meeting people's basic needs or interests, these models combine daily life with blockchain economics, further expanding the application scope of X to Earn and exploring more novel and diverse forms.

4. Why Has the Tap to Earn Model Become Popular?

Recently, Notcoin has popularized the Tap to Earn model, which is essentially an extension of the X to Earn model, but the success of this model also has certain inevitabilities behind it.

1. Simple and Easy Game Mechanics

The core of the Tap to Earn model lies in its extremely simple operation. Players only need to click the screen to earn rewards, without complex operations or strategies. Users do not need to invest a lot of time and effort to learn game rules or operational skills, allowing them to quickly receive feedback and rewards. This immediate sense of satisfaction greatly enhances user engagement and retention.

2. Efficient User Dissemination and Growth Mechanism

Notcoin has greatly promoted user growth by introducing social sharing and invitation reward mechanisms. Users can earn additional rewards by sharing game links or inviting friends to join the game. This mechanism not only increases the game's exposure but also enhances user interaction and participation. Users' active sharing and promotion enable the game to attract a large number of new users in a short time, achieving exponential growth.

3. Instant Incentive Mechanism and Economic Returns

The Tap to Earn model provides instant economic returns, with players earning token rewards for each click operation they complete. This immediate reward mechanism greatly stimulates user enthusiasm, enhancing user satisfaction and increasing their retention and activity levels.

4. Large Potential User Base

Due to its simple operation and lack of significant time investment, the Tap to Earn model can attract a wide user base, including the general public who are unfamiliar with blockchain technology and complex game mechanics. Compared to other complex blockchain gaming models, Tap to Earn has lower requirements for devices and technology, allowing most smartphone users to participate. This lowers the barrier to entry for users and expands the coverage of the user base.

5. Innovation and Differentiation

The Tap to Earn model has attracted significant attention due to its unique novelty. While other blockchain gaming models are still exploring complex game mechanics, Tap to Earn stands out with its minimalist design and efficient reward mechanism, filling a gap in the market for low-barrier, light entertainment blockchain games, catering to the needs of different user groups.

This indicates that mini-games and gaming bots can pave the way for broader Web3 applications. Unlike the extensive development cycles required for fully on-chain games or AAA games, these platforms prioritize agility and rapid deployment. This approach may more effectively attract and retain a large user base compared to pursuing complex but less accessible gaming experiences.

5. What Problems Exist in Current Blockchain Gaming Models?

As an emerging model in blockchain gaming, Tap to Earn has rapidly risen due to its simplicity, but it also exposes several issues in the current blockchain gaming models:

1. Insufficient Gameplay

Many blockchain games, especially early Play to Earn models, often focus too much on economic returns while neglecting gameplay, resulting in poorly made games with low playability. This leads to users gradually losing interest after initial enthusiasm. While users are very popular in the early stages of earning tokens, the lack of depth and challenge results in insufficient user retention.

2. Unstable Economic Models

If the economic model of a blockchain game is poorly designed, it can lead to significant fluctuations in token prices, even resulting in a "death spiral," affecting users' profit expectations and confidence. For example, after the token price of Axie Infinity plummeted by over 90%, although the number of users still increased, market confidence was clearly undermined.

3. Severe Homogeneity

Many blockchain gaming projects lack innovation in design, excessively imitating successful projects, leading to a proliferation of homogeneous games in the market. For instance, many blockchain gaming projects attempt to replicate the success of Axie Infinity but do not show significant differences in game mechanics, visual design, and user experience, making it difficult to attract long-term users.

4. Balancing Gameplay and Economic Viability

How to achieve economic returns while ensuring gameplay quality is a problem that blockchain game developers need to solve. Overemphasizing economic returns may lead to a decline in gameplay quality, which in turn affects user experience and retention.

5. Difficulty in User Acquisition and Retention

Blockchain games can attract users through aggressive marketing and high rewards in the early stages, but retaining users in the long term is very challenging. After completing initial tasks and earning rewards, users may leave due to a lack of novelty and challenge. Many blockchain gaming projects initially burn cash and…

6. Thoughts on the Development Trends of Blockchain Gaming Models

1. Diversified X to Earn Models

The X to Earn model will continue to expand, not limited to Play to Earn, Move to Earn, and Tap to Earn, but also new innovative models that will further enrich the application scenarios of blockchain gaming, attracting more users with different interests and needs. Additionally, more traditional Web2 companies are leveraging their existing resources and advantages, combining with X to Earn models to drive product iteration and user growth, achieving the integration of Web2 and Web3.

2. Integration of New Technologies

With the development of blockchain technology, blockchain games will integrate more emerging technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI), providing a more immersive and intelligent gaming experience. For example, future blockchain games may use VR technology to create virtual worlds and combine AI to achieve intelligent NPC interactions, enhancing the immersion and interactivity of the game.

3. Innovation and Differentiation

Blockchain gaming projects need to continuously innovate in gameplay and economic models and stand out in the market through differentiation strategies. For example, by introducing new game mechanics, increasing social interaction features, and developing unique economic systems, the attractiveness and user retention of the game can be enhanced. Designing different gaming experiences and reward mechanisms for different user groups can meet diverse user needs.

4. User Experience Optimization

Methods and strategies for enhancing gaming experiences include optimizing game graphics, improving operational fluency, and increasing game content. By continuously improving the core gameplay and user interface, user satisfaction and retention can be enhanced. Additionally, blockchain gaming projects can collect user feedback and suggestions through community building and user research, adjusting and improving game content in a timely manner.

5. Community Building and Governance

Building and maintaining an active gaming community can enhance user engagement and participation. By hosting online and offline events, establishing social platforms, and providing spaces for user communication, player interaction and exchange can be promoted. By introducing DAO and voting mechanisms, players can participate in the development and decision-making of the game, enhancing user enthusiasm and loyalty.

6. Sustainable Development

Blockchain gaming projects need to pay more attention to sustainable development, designing reasonable economic models and ecosystems to ensure long-term stable operation. Project teams will continuously optimize games and economic systems through ongoing innovation, user feedback, and community building, achieving positive cycles and sustainable development.

In summary, the success of the Tap to Earn model not only demonstrates the potential of blockchain gaming but also exposes many issues in the current development of blockchain gaming models. By enhancing gameplay, optimizing economic models, strengthening user acquisition and retention strategies, addressing regulatory risks, and enhancing security and privacy protection, blockchain gaming projects can better meet challenges and achieve sustainable development. In the future, with the integration of new technologies, the expansion of diversified X to Earn models, ecosystem building, and the participation of traditional enterprises, more possibilities for blockchain gaming models can be anticipated.