Quicktake:

• Active Addresses Surge: 7-day moving average rose from 61,000 in early May to over 150,000 by the end of the month.
• Transaction Spike: 7-day moving average of user transactions skyrocketed to 47 million.
• Game Impact: “Tapos” clicker game responsible for the surge.
• Transaction Peak: Un-averaged transactions hit 156 million.
• Game End: Transactions decreased post “Tapos” campaign end.

Aptos, a blockchain network launched in October 2022, experienced an unprecedented surge in daily transactions, thanks to a simple yet engaging game called “Tapos.” In just three days, the number of daily transactions on Aptos soared by a staggering 1,466%, demonstrating the power of gamification in the blockchain space.

The 7-day moving average of active addresses on Aptos saw a significant increase, climbing from 61,000 in early May to over 150,000 by the end of the month. This spike coincided with a dramatic rise in user transactions, which surged from a moving average of less than 1 million to 47 million by late May. In total, un-averaged transactions peaked at an impressive 156 million.

For those unfamiliar with Aptos, it emerged from Facebook’s Libra blockchain initiative and was heavily promoted as an alternative to Solana, particularly appealing to developers due to its utilization of the Move programming language. This language was designed to be more accessible, simplifying the development process. Despite being the 17th largest network by total value locked, Aptos has maintained a relatively low profile within the broader crypto community.

Aptos has consistently attracted significant partnerships, collaborating with industry giants such as Microsoft, Brevan Howard, Universal Pictures, and Google Cloud. These collaborations aim to enhance the ecosystem and foster wider adoption of the Aptos blockchain.

The recent surge in transactions, however, was not directly tied to these partnerships but rather to the viral success of “Tapos,” a clicker game. In “Tapos,” each click executes a transaction that increases the player’s counter. The game’s objective is to tickle a virtual cat with each click, earning HEART tokens in return. Although players must pay a minimal gas fee of approximately 0.000008 APT (less than one-hundredth of a cent), the potential rewards in HEART tokens made the game highly engaging.

The HEART tokens earned are based on the proportion of tickles a player contributes during a game period compared to the total tickles by all players. Essentially, more clicks translate to more tokens, incentivizing players to engage in frequent clicking.

Given the game’s structure, it’s unsurprising that transactions on the Aptos network surged. The 7-day moving average of active addresses also climbed significantly, indicating a growing user base, which likely included many new participants drawn in by the game’s appeal. The “Tapos” game launched towards the end of May, contributing to the spike in activity.

On May 26, the official “Tapos” account announced the end of its campaign, indicating that the game would soon update with new developments. By this time, the game had already generated over 323 million transactions and attracted over 63,000 users. However, the conclusion of the “Tapos” campaign led to a subsequent decline in transaction numbers, with the moving average starting to decrease.

Despite its brief duration, the success of “Tapos” highlights several strengths of the Aptos blockchain. A game demanding such high transaction volumes would face significant challenges on networks with higher fees. The low transaction costs on Aptos made it an ideal platform for “Tapos,” allowing the game to flourish without burdening users with prohibitive fees. Additionally, the game’s design leveraged specific functionalities of the Aptos network, demonstrating the blockchain’s versatility and efficiency.

This surge in activity underscores the potential for blockchain-based games to drive network engagement and user growth. While the “Tapos” phenomenon was short-lived, it showcased how innovative applications could attract substantial user participation and transaction volumes. For Aptos, this event serves as a case study in the impact of gamification on blockchain adoption and highlights the importance of scalable, low-cost networks in supporting high-volume applications.

In conclusion, the dramatic increase in transactions on the Aptos network, driven by the “Tapos” game, illustrates the potential of blockchain technology to engage users through creative and rewarding applications. As Aptos continues to evolve and attract partnerships, its ability to support such innovative use cases will be crucial in maintaining and expanding its user base. The lessons learned from the “Tapos” surge may well inform future developments and strategies within the blockchain ecosystem, further cementing Aptos’s position as a significant player in the crypto space.