Drivers and bikers tap away furiously on their phones as they wait at red lights in the Iranian capital during an early June heatwave. Some pedestrians in Tehran are doing the same. They all believe they could get rich.
The object of their rapt attention? The “Hamster Kombat” app.
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The app is accessed through the messaging app Telegram, which remains popular in Iran despite efforts by the authorities trying to block access to it. It functions like an incremental or a “clicker" game — users repeatedly click on an object or complete repetitive tasks to earn points.
In “Hamster Kombat,” users believe they may be able to access a purported cryptocurrency associated with the game that's still not traded publicly.
In an email, individuals describing themselves as the game's developers declined to answer questions about their identities or business plans, but insisted they were “not offering any cryptocurrency in the game.”
“We are educating our audience about crypto through gaming mechanics,” the email claimed.
Still, the game resembles another app that did offer Iranians cryptocurrency in the past — and it seems that just the promise of what could be free money can drive some Iranians to distraction.
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Iran isn't alone in having concerns about the game.
Authorities in Ukraine, locked in a devastating war with Iranian-armed Russia since Moscow's 2022 invasion, warned that users' data remains stored in Russia and could potentially put them at risk.
Then there's the wider risk of malware exposure as consumers in Iran often cannot purchase new software legally or even access legitimate app stores. They also face the risk of state-sponsored hackers targeting them for their political views.
From the article:
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