Currently, the official Hamster Kombat channel on Telegram has 52 million subscribers. The game has become popular not only in Russia ― users around the world "tap" a hamster to earn in-game currency. So far, these coins cannot be converted into real money, however, Telegram creator Pavel Durov promised to issue tokens of the project on the TON blockchain.
"It is necessary to stop, of course. Such things must be stopped. In my opinion, this is clearly a scam. Manipulation and use of the psychology of citizens. Especially those who don't really want to work, but want to be able to play with a minimum of effort and get rich," Aksakov said.
The parliamentarian called the popularity of Hamster Kombat "almost a psychosis." He noted that the game is an external influence and may well lead to negative consequences. While the State Duma has not yet taken up the issue closely, however, Aksakov said that "it is necessary to discuss it precisely."
According to a recent VTsIOM survey, almost half of respondents know about the Hamster Kombat chatbot, and the popularity of products that allow you to "tap" a hamster faster has increased significantly on Russian marketplaces.