Anatoly Aksakov, the Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on the Financial Market, has stated that ‘Hamster Kombat’, a popular tap-to-earn game, should be stopped in Russia. Aksakov emphasized that ‘Hamster Kombat’ manipulates the psyche of citizens, leading them to believe that they can become wealthy with minimal effort through playing this type of game.

Hamster Kombat Is ‘a Scam’ and ‘Must Be Stopped,’ Russian State Duma Financial Market Committee Leader States

Hamster Kombat, the tap-to-earn game where players take the role of a hamster who is the CEO of a cryptocurrency exchange, has garnered a bad reputation from Russian leaders. Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market, has called for the stop of the game operations in the country, calling it manipulative and scammy.

Talking to local media, Aksakov stated:

Such things must be stopped. In my opinion, this is clearly a scam. Manipulation and use of the psychology of citizens. Especially those who do not really want to work, but dream that they can play with a minimum of effort and get rich.

Furthermore, Aksakov criticized the activities that Hamster Kombat users need to complete to gain more virtual coins that will be distributed in an upcoming airdrop, calling them “almost a psychosis.” “People are gullible, people are easily manipulated and other cunning moves. Sometimes all this even comes almost to Internet addiction,” he stressed.

Hamster Kombat is considered a major success in Russia. According to local retailers, its introduction has caused sales of muscle massage gun devices, which can be used for repeatedly tapping mobile device screens, to almost triple from May to June.

Even with countries like Iran considering Hamster Kombat a “soft war” instrument, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov recently praised the game’s influence on its users. Durov assessed that Hamster Kombat might be the first contact of several million people with blockchain once the token gets airdropped on top of TON.