The popularity of the clicker game Hamster Kombat in Iran has sparked sharp criticism and concerns among local authorities, reports Associated Press.
According to the publication, Iranians’ fascination with cryptocurrencies and mobile apps distributing digital assets is attributed to the dire economic situation. The sanctioned country suffers from high inflation and a lack of jobs.
Users believe that in Hamster Kombat they can access a supposed cryptocurrency linked to the game, which is not yet publicly traded.
“A desperate attempt to cling to a tiny hope that it will one day become something valuable,” explained Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at Miaan Group.
In turn, Iranian government officials see the widespread fascination with the clicker as an attempt to distract citizens from the upcoming presidential elections. Deputy Commander of the country’s armed forces, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, called Hamster Kombat a “Western tool.”
“One of the features of the enemy’s soft war is the hamster game. [The people are distracted so they] do not pay attention to the plans of presidential candidates and cannot choose the best candidates,” he said.
The daily newspaper JameJam, published by Iran’s state television, accused citizens of wanting to “gain wealth without effort.”
“A society that, instead of working and striving for success and earnings, turns to such games and seeks shortcuts to unforeseen income, gradually loses the culture of effort and entrepreneurship, moving towards convenience,” the newspaper stated, without mentioning existing economic problems.
97-year-old Shia religious scholar Naser Makarem Shirazi called cryptocurrency “a source of many abuses.” He recommended not using Hamster Kombat or other similar apps related to bitcoins.
Some countries are tackling the clicker at the legislative level. For instance, in Uzbekistan, Hamster Kombat players were threatened with arrest and fines.
Due to numerous requests, NAPP, the local crypto market regulator, issued an explanation regarding the app.
The agency clarified that at this stage it does not classify Hamster Kombat as a Play-to-Earn category, as the in-game currency lacks backing and real utility.
According to local legislation, the coins also do not fall under the definition of a crypto asset, as blockchain is not used for issuance.
Should the HMSTR tokens be listed and recognized as a crypto asset, Uzbek citizens will be able to buy and sell them only through licensed national cryptocurrency service providers. Until then, the regulation of the token’s circulation is not within NAPP’s competence.
Sources from The Bell name Russian IT entrepreneur Eduard Gurinovich as the creator of Hamster Kombat. He is the founder of the used car auction platform CarPrice and the lending service CarMoney.
The beneficiaries of the clicker include the Telegram messenger, and the financial turnover reaches several million dollars a day, claim the publication’s interlocutors.
According to data from mid-June, the number of active Hamster Kombat players exceeded 150 million people.
Earlier, the cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin announced the pre-market of the in-game token HMSTR. The start of trading has been repeatedly postponed and is currently scheduled for June 28.
Security researchers have discovered two fraudulent campaigns in Telegram targeting Hamster Kombat players.