# Web3 Industry’s Mass Adoption: Still a Distant Goal

The mainstream adoption of the Web3 industry remains a far-off ambition. While meme coins have demonstrated that ‘fun’ is a key element in capturing public interest, the speculative approach has only yielded short-term effects. Nevertheless, the user acquisition effect of ‘fun’ should not be overlooked. Casual games have historically been a core gateway in the process of various technological innovations.

In this context, it is important to consider the leading Web3 casual game developer, Gomble Games. Gomble takes an approach that integrates Web3 technology seamlessly while focusing on ‘fun.’ Through simple and intuitive games like Eggdrop, they have rapidly secured users and proven their capabilities as a casual game builder.

Gomble Games is not just a game builder but is building a multi-layered ecosystem with Gomble Squad, Gomble Builders, and tokenomics. They aim to lower the entry barriers of the Web3 industry by providing economic opportunities to Web3 users and a seamless gaming experience to Web2 users.

# The Long Road to Mass Adoption of the Web3 Industry

Despite ongoing efforts, the mass adoption of the Web3 industry remains a distant goal. Various technological efforts, such as improving network stability, transaction speed, and accessibility via account abstraction, are in progress, but these changes have not yet led to significant user expansion.

During the meme coin boom, public interest in the Web3 market was fervent. Tokens like Chillguy ($Chillguy) and Trump ($Trump) contributed to a surge in new user acquisitions. However, it is questionable whether this influx led to qualitative growth in the industry. On-chain activity data from newcomers, especially Trump token investors, shows that many experienced financial losses, and most did not engage in further on-chain activities. Although there was an explosive increase in investors over a short period, they did not settle as sustainable users.

Such speculation-driven experiences may reinforce negative perceptions of the Web3 industry and hinder its long-term development. Thus, for the mass adoption of Web3 technology, an approach that allows users to naturally experience the intrinsic value of Web3 technology and encourages continuous participation is needed.

# Casual Games as a Gateway to New Technology

In the history of technological innovation, games have always served as a gateway to mass adoption. During the PC communication era, MUD games enabled users to naturally and enjoyably become accustomed to complex interfaces and network environments.

In the smartphone era, simple and intuitive casual games like Fruit Ninja, Temple Run, and Angry Birds quickly attracted a broad and diverse user base, becoming a key catalyst for technology diffusion. These games allowed users to experience unique smartphone features like touch screens and gyro sensors naturally through enjoyable experiences.

A similar trend occurs in AR technology as well. Pokémon Go allowed users to accept augmented reality technology naturally through interactions with Pokémon in real-world spaces without understanding the complex principles of AR technology. In this way, casual games effectively abstract technological complexity and intuitively convey the value of technology to users, acting as a sort of ‘tutorial.’

Casual games can be an effective onboarding tool in the Web3 industry. Their low entry barriers and short play times make them a convenient initial touchpoint for users to experience Web3 technology. While meme coin trading shares similar advantages by having low entry barriers and easy accessibility, it often drives short-term interest and speculation without structural mechanisms to convert users into sustained activity and ecosystem participation. On the other hand, hardcore Web3 games offer immersive experiences but have high entry procedures and long play times, limiting their effectiveness for mass adoption.

Given these circumstances, casual games are recognized as a practical solution for the mass adoption of Web3 technology. This strategy is seen as an effective way to address the challenges of user expansion and sustained participation facing the current Web3 industry.

# Gomble Games: Delivering Web3 Fun through Hyper-Casual Games

A notable player striving to realize the potential of Web3 casual games is Gomble Games (Gomble). Starting as the blockchain division of Korea’s leading casual game developer 111 Percent, known for global hits like Random Dice and Lucky Defense, Gomble leverages verified capabilities to challenge the mass adoption of the Web3 industry.

Gomble’s core philosophy is to maximize the intrinsic value of games by providing easy and engaging casual gaming experiences, integrating Web3 technology into gameplay to offer a more immersive experience. This approach has resonated in the market, leading to over $10 million in cumulative investment from major global investors, including YZi Labs (former Binance Labs), Spartan, and Hashed.

Gomble has already proven its capabilities as a game builder. In 2024, they launched several casual games, including Merge Lion and Rumby Party. Notably, the Telegram-based game ‘Eggdrop’ attracted 300,000 users within two days of launch, with 100,000 daily active users, demonstrating rapid expansion. Eggdrop went on to achieve 3 million monthly active users and 600,000 daily active users, recording high retention rates. It received higher evaluations in terms of user experience and game completion compared to other Telegram games, further showcasing Gomble’s competency in casual game planning and development.

# Gomble Games’ Next Stage: From Game Builder to Ecosystem

Gomble aims to extend beyond merely creating games, developing a multi-layered ecosystem connecting users, developers, and content holders in various ways. This stems from recognizing the structural characteristics and limitations of the casual genre, which has low entry barriers but short game lifespans and rapid user churn. Gomble seeks to overcome these limitations by creating additional value outside the games and expanding from short-term play structures to long-term relationships using Web3 technology.

This move can be compared to not just staging a successful performance but also designing the backstage and running the theater company so that good performances continue and thrive. To this end, Gomble is establishing 1) Gomble Squad, a social gaming hub, 2) Gomble Builders, a game development infrastructure for developers and studios, and 3) tokenomics centered on the Gomble Token ($GM).

For Gomble, games are just the starting point for user acquisition. The next step is to utilize Web3 technology to expand into a sustainable ecosystem where users create, enjoy, and share rewards together. This is Gomble’s vision for the next stage.

## Social Gaming Hub: Gomble Squad

Gomble Squad forms teams of up to ten users into ‘Squads,’ offering social-based gaming experiences through cooperative missions, team rankings, and joint rewards. Just as team sports lead to shared goals and rewards, this structure aims to increase user engagement and immersion.

Gomble tested the squad structure by beta-launching it on Telegram Messenger, attracting over 50,000 squads and 560,000 users. Data confirmed its effectiveness: applying squad missions to the Eggdrop game increased daily retention by an average of 7% in one week, and introducing squad competition and leaderboards increased the average spending of paying users by approximately 6.7 times.

The squad structure extends to the on-chain mechanism PoSQ (Proof of Squad). While traditional Web3 on-chain indicators focus on individual assets or transactions, PoSQ records and verifies team-based interactions, providing new social-based data. Developers can use this to better understand users, and users can verify their squad activities for transparent rewards.

Gomble plans to expand this structure with a native app that includes a rewards-centered interface encompassing various online and offline activities. Though specific features are not yet disclosed, potential use cases could include ‘Squad Marathon,’ where the total steps of team members are combined, or missions where the entire squad checks in at specific locations within a time limit.

Through this approach, Gomble aims to onboard not just Web3 users but also the broader public easily and naturally.

## User-Participation Development Platform: Gomble Builders

Gomble Builders is a community-participation development platform allowing users to engage directly in game creation and receive rewards. Gomble focuses on the unique characteristics of casual games: short development cycles and relatively simple structures, making them suitable for quickly incorporating and experimenting with community feedback.

Gomble aims to implement a structure where community suggestions naturally integrate into games through Gomble Builders. The initial phase involves incorporating community-selected content IP into games via voting. Gomble collaborates with the blockchain-based IP licensing protocol ‘Story’ for this purpose.

For instance, if a Pudgy Penguin holder suggests their NFT IP as a character skin, the community votes on whether to adopt the suggestion. If adopted, the IP is redesigned to fit the game style and used as an in-game element. Profits from paid content using the IP are distributed to the NFT owner, and additional rewards are given to community members participating in the proposal and voting processes.

Gomble Builders plans to extend beyond IP licensing to introduce various game development tools, allowing the community to participate in all stages from idea proposal to production and monetization. This approach aims to extend the lifecycle of casual games and secure content diversity.

## Tokenomics: Reward-Driven Participation Loop

Rewards are not a conclusion but a starting point. They initiate user engagement, leading to continuous activity and contributions. In the Web3 industry, blockchain technology ensures all activities are transparently recorded and verified, making reward-based mechanisms highly effective.

Gomble’s tokenomics also follows this principle, using rewards as a starting point to build a structure connecting users, developers, and the community. Users earn in-game points through gameplay, which can be exchanged for Gomble Tokens. The activity data generated during this process is recorded on-chain and used as reliable core data. Developers use this data for precise targeting and effective marketing, and users receive personalized reward experiences, increasing participation.

This structure was difficult to implement in the traditional gaming industry, where most user data was concentrated on big tech platforms like Google or Facebook, limiting game developers to rely on limited information. Furthermore, marketing costs continuously rise while efficiency decreases, making it challenging to design effective reward structures. Gomble’s attempt to design a participation loop based on tokenomics and return data usage control to developers and users is all the more meaningful in this context.

The reward structure centered on the Gomble Token extends to the community. Traditional creation communities depended on voluntary contributions without monetary rewards, limiting sustainability and engagement, yet most rights and profits remained with the platform. Through tokens, Gomble transparently distributes rewards to contributors, providing substantial incentives for participation and fostering long-term community engagement. This approach seeks to replicate the potential shown by user-led ecosystems like StarCraft UMS (Use Map Settings) and Steam Workshop in a more transparent and structured manner within the Web3 environment.

# Conclusion: Gomble Games’ Challenge and Potential

In the early days of the smartphone industry, casual games were the most effective way for the public to become familiar with the mobile environment. Simple and intuitive gaming experiences allowed users to learn the technology effortlessly, acting as a catalyst for the widespread adoption of various app services. Gomble aims to play a similar role in the Web3 environment.

Gomble is a team with proven execution capabilities in casual games. During their launch pool period, they successfully attracted over 2 million new users through Telegram-based squads within just two weeks. However, these early successes do not guarantee Gomble’s long-term success. Ultimately, the emergence of ‘fun games’ will determine Gomble’s success.

111 Percent also accumulated experience by developing numerous games, but it wasn’t until the success of hits like Random Dice and Lucky Defense that they began to see significant growth. Similarly, despite their efforts to meticulously design tokenomics, a compelling game is a crucial prerequisite for the structure to function effectively.

However, Gomble is a team capable of creating such ‘fun games.’ Furthermore, Gomble is not solely dependent on the success of a single game as a game builder. They aim to increase their chances of success by fostering a structure where external developers, studios, and various Web3 projects collaborate as ecosystem builders.

Casual games present the most practical and effective means for the mass adoption of the Web3 industry. Just as games have repeatedly opened the doors to mass adoption throughout the history of technological popularization, attention is focused on whether Gomble can open the doors to the mass adoption of the Web3 industry through casual games.

*This article is a full reprint of ‘Gomble Games: The Hyper-Casual Hero Opening the Door to the Mass Adoption of the Web3 Industry’ from Tiger Research, a global Web3 specialized research institute and partner of Block Media. The full report can be found on the [Tiger Research] website.*