The Steam clicker game has recently become a balmy topic after several of the platform’s most popular games were added. “Banana” became a sensation due to its NFT-like rewards that can be sold on the Steam marketplace for over $1,000. However, the clicker phenomenon has sparked debate among members of the cryptocurrency community about the state of crypto and online gaming.

Peeling the Steam clicker action game

Banana is an indie game on Steam that involves clicking on a banana image to get rewards. While it’s not the first game of its kind, its players are rewarded with digital bananas every few hours. Prizes can range from common bananas worth pennies to scarce bananas that can sell for up to $1,300.

The free-to-play game made headlines after surpassing some of the platform’s most popular titles. Banana overtook Elder Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3 as the most played game. The clicker game came in second after Counter-Strike 2.

As of this 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 last 24 hours. What’s more, it reached a record high of 917,000 players earlier this month.

However, the simplicity of the game has raised concerns among players. Many have believed that the clicker game contains malware that turns devices into cryptocurrency miners. Others have wondered if the game is a type of scam.

One of Banana’s creators, Hery, has denied the accusations. Hery told news site Polygon that it was “just a stupid game” with Bananas, not a scam.

Many users also speculated whether the game was related to NFTs and cryptocurrencies, as it had the nature of an NFT but without blockchain technology. A Banana team member explained that “Banana wants nothing to do with cryptocurrencies.”

They explained that the game had no intention of integrating cryptocurrencies because it didn’t “mix well” with Steam. Additionally, they emphasized that it started as a “silly banana-picking game on your Steam profile.”

Will cryptocurrencies and Web3 games become petty?

While Banana has no plans to integrate with the cryptocurrency industry, the game has sparked some conversations within the community, with several members taking the opportunity to discuss its implications for online gaming.

The user highlighted the game’s popularity despite its elementary mechanics, suggesting that the industry does not need “AAA games” to break out. Several community members agreed and he suggested There is a misconception about the type of games needed in web3.

While it’s believed that elaborate and action-packed games are the only option, “dudes just want to have fun and score points,” said user X. Apparently, there was a perception among many that the industry “makes everything more complicated than it really is.”

Some users be careful that Banana and similar games can facilitate with web3 gaming. The quality of the game’s memes has been cited as a potential catalyst for wider adoption.

Similarly, this week Avalanche Gaming discussed the implications of Banana for its Gamified Show. According to Paul Bettner, game developer and co-founder of Playful Studios, Banana could be an escape into the larger world of crypto gaming.

For Bettner, “the behavior that we all love and participate in in web3 as degens and web3 users and crypto-natives is in fact universal.” As we’ve watched the click sensation phenomenon unfold on Steam, the game’s creator noticed that users are “a group of degenerates who don’t yet know they are degenerates.”

Ultimately, he believes that “people are learning to degenerate.” If most of these users knew “what a wallet or blockchain is, they would realize they could do it on a scale 1,000 times larger than blockchain.”

Featured image is from Unsplash.com, chart is from TradingView.com