Recently, a clicker game on Steam came into the spotlight after surpassing some of the platform's most popular games. 'Banana' became a sensation for its nft-like rewards, which can sell for over $1,000 on the Steam marketplace. However, the click phenomenon has sparked debate among members of the cryptocurrency community about the state of cryptocurrencies and web3 gaming.
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Steam clicker game feeling peeling
Banana is a Steam indie game that involves clicking on a picture of a banana to get rewards. Although it is not the first of its kind, its players are rewarded with digital bananas every few hours. Rewards can range from common bananas worth a few cents to rare bananas, which can sell for up to $1,300.
The free-to-play game made headlines after overtaking some of the platform's most popular titles. Banana overtook Elder Ring and Baldur's Gate 3 on the list of most-played games. The clicker came in second, behind Counter-Strike 2.
At the time of writing, the game remains the fourth most-played game on Steam, with over 344,000 current players and a peak of 578,000 in the past 24 hours. It also hit an all-time high of 917,000 players earlier this month.
However, the simplicity of the game set off some alarms among players. Many believed that the clicker game contained malware that turned devices into cryptominers. While others wondered if the game was some kind of scam.
One of Banana's developers, Hery, denied the allegations. Hery told media outlet Polygon that “it's pretty much a stupid game” with bananas, not a scam.
Many users also speculated if the game was related to nfts and cryptocurrencies as it had a similar feel to nfts but without the blockchain technology. A Banana team member clarified that “Banana wants nothing to do with cryptocurrencies.”
They x.com/AestheticSparta/status/1801885520835846620″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>explained that the game had no intention of integrating cryptocurrencies, as they don't “play well” with Steam. They further emphasized that it started out as “a silly game to collect some bananas on your Steam profile.”
Are Cryptocurrencies and Web3 Gaming Going Crazy?
Although Banana does not plan to integrate with the crypto industry, the game sparked several conversations among the community. Several members took the opportunity to discuss its implications for web3 gaming.
One user highlighted the game's popularity despite its simple mechanics and proposed that the industry doesn't need “AAA games” to take off. Several community members agreed and x.com/joeythedegen/status/1803383763197460520″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>He suggested There is a misconception about the type of games needed in web3.
While complex, super-action games are thought to be the only way to go, “guys just want to have fun and earn points,” one x user said. Apparently, the sentiment among many was that the industry “is making things more complicated than they are.”
Some users x.com/kingscoriox/status/1801767519298195920″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>believe that Banana and other similar games could help with web3 gaming. The meme quality of the game was noted as a potential catalyst for wider adoption.
Similarly, this week, Avalanche Gaming discussed the implications of Banana on their Gamified Show. According to Paul Bettner, game developer and co-founder of Playful Studios, Banana could be an escape into the broader world of crypto gaming.
For Bettner, “the behavior that we all love and engage in on the web3 as degenerates and native web3 users and crypto-heads is, in fact, universal.” As he watched the Steam clicker sensation phenomenon evolve, the game developer x.com/GamingOnAvax/status/1806326626923249773″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>noticed that the users were “a bunch of degenerates who don't even know they're degenerates.”
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In short, he considers that “people are learning to degenerate.” If most of these users knew “what a wallet or a blockchain is, they would realize they can do it at 1,000 times the scale of a blockchain.”
Featured image from Unsplash.com, chart from TradingView.com
