Crypto Degens Seek for Subsequent 'Ponzi Recreation' After 'Bigcoin' Value Craters – Decrypt

It is nothing new for crypto video games to be derided as “Ponzi schemes”—however some gamers are utilizing the tag as a optimistic after a brand new crypto-earning sport shortly surged after which cooled simply as quickly. And so they're searching for the following promising “Ponzi sport” to leap into.Summary-based crypto mining simulation sport Bigcoin caught the eye of merchants final week, with the token worth rising as increasingly more gamers purchased in and began incomes crypto rewards.However after its token crashed 83% on Saturday, in line with DEX Screener—and stays down considerably from final week's peak—some gamers that loved the wild Bigcoin trip are searching for the following potential “Ponzi” winner.Bigcoin has a reasonably easy idea, the place gamers purchase in-game miners that earn them BIG tokens on Ethereum layer-2 community Summary—akin to how real-world Bitcoin miners work. The purpose is to consistently earn BIG, after which use the tokens to improve your in-game arrange so that you earn extra. However many trade observers believed that the sport purely works on “Ponzinomics,” with gamers solely incomes rewards resulting from new gamers flowing capital into the sport. However that isn’t essentially being seen as a foul factor. If something, it’s what attracted so many gamers in such a brief span of time.
f*ck it, they bought me
new crypto ponzi sport, referred to as bigcoin
◘ purchase miners that mine X quantity of $BIG per day (miners are deflationary)◘ use $BIG to purchase extra miners, flex gadgets, and so on., future worth?◘ farm summary XP◘ it is f*cking pixels lol
i bear in mind how cryptovalleys… pic.twitter.com/lkra5UhwzV
— MINHxDYNASTY (@MINHxDYNASTY) April 11, 2025“Ponzi video games are the perfect video games. Liquidity and a focus has confirmed this for years at this level,” founding father of crypto funding platform Nexus, Jonny, wrote on X. “Unhappy, however degenerate and enjoyable on the identical time.”Pudgy Penguins founder Cole Thereum referred to as Bigcoin the “most enjoyable [he] had on-chain shortly.” Nearly instantly after Bigcoin's token cratered, individuals have been searching for the following “Ponzi sport” to get pleasure from.However why are some crypto customers looking forward to dangerous video games with a doubtlessly brief shelf life, somewhat than searching for richer gameplay experiences?“Bigcoin is tremendous easy and it’s straightforward to calculate how a lot you'll want to put in an effort to get a specific amount again. The mathematics provides up so long as the token worth stays steady,” crypto gaming content material creator Inspector instructed Decrypt. “The premise is which you could calculate clear rewards. [It] provides an entire new layer of enjoyable for many. That’s why I joined this trade.”This can be a response to the play-to-airdrop and tap-to-earn fashions that dominated crypto gaming final 12 months. Underneath these fashions, gamers would spend days, weeks, and months grinding in a sport, not figuring out how properly they’d be rewarded as soon as the airdrop got here round. Consequently, whereas video games could possibly keep hype and momentum for an extended interval than Bigcoin, gamers have been typically left dissatisfied with what they obtain within the airdrop—equivalent to Hamster Kombat gamers calling their reward “mud,” or Catizen gamers grumbling about unclear standards and last-minute modifications.Whereas Bigcoin’s mannequin seems unsustainable to these getting into—notably amid extensive token worth swings—at the very least it is trustworthy about how a lot they'll earn. And it comes at a time wherein most gaming tokens have been falling laborious, dampening the vibes of crypto sport fans.“Add on high of that the gaming tokens happening 70-80% post-[token launch] and also you get a recipe for individuals craving Ponzi schemes simply to really feel one thing once more,” Inspector added. Curiously, Bigcoin appeared to seize the eye of crypto degens who aren’t usually into gaming. This could possibly be the results of the present market circumstances throughout the trade, as main tokens like Mantra crash and meme cash (principally) aren’t pumping like they did earlier this 12 months. Some merchants might really feel like there are fewer dependable methods to win within the present crypto “on line casino.”“Determined instances name for determined measures, for certain, however I feel it's greater than that,” crypto gaming content material creator Daniel Droege instructed Decrypt. “Persons are beginning to get up to insiders and [venture capitalists] dumping on them.”This has led to crypto avid gamers searching for the following “Ponzi sport” to play, as the value of Bigcoin's token stays properly down from final week’s peak. Some X threads level gamers to play-to-earn video games like Axie Infinity and Pixels, whereas others have got down to make a self-admitted Ponzi sport—equivalent to Minereum, which is branded as “what Bigcoin was meant to be.”
Mining ~$800 of Minereum per day atm. Already took out initials + extra.
Huge is BTC, and there'll most likely be a pair that stick and have totally different buildings to Huge, i.e totally different burn charges and methods of dealing with upgrades. Will this one stick? Idk. Is it a sluggish rug? Idk. pic.twitter.com/YNMKA4XsFo
— breeze (@Breezeonhodl) April 15, 2025“I feel crypto loves the brand new shiny object, and price-go-up is the perfect advertising and marketing,” pseudonymous content material creator and Gaming Day by day founder Iceyyy instructed Decrypt. “Personally, as a Web3 gaming fanatic, I am searching for initiatives that may show that endurance and sustainability—video games that may develop their participant base, innovate on their design, and push the area ahead.”Bigcoin just isn't useless, to be clear, even when the value has fallen considerably and the related buzz has cooled. Creator Satoshi Bigmoto—a reference to pseudonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto—wrote on X Wednesday that sport updates are nonetheless within the works.
There might be updates coming to Bigcoin, I first wish to clarify the methodology behind them.
Any change to the system have to be launched intentionally. One small misstep might have vital penalties.
Bigcoin has grown a lot quicker than I anticipated, and introducing any type…
— bigtoshi (@satoshibigmoto) April 16, 2025While Bigcoin's preliminary surge was short-lived, it leaves some lingering questions. Is that this mannequin going to push the crypto gaming trade ahead? Will Ponzi video games be the paradigm shift that onboards Web2 customers, or is it yet one more short-term diversion for merchants looking for the following massive acquire?“Folks thought-about Axie a ponzi when it got here out, however it onboarded thousands and thousands to crypto,” Inspector defined. “Bigcoin will not replicate that success, however it's a method that works.”Edited by Andrew HaywardGG NewsletterGet the newest web3 gaming information, hear straight from gaming studios and influencers overlaying the area, and obtain power-ups from our companions.