1. Introduction and Origins: From Joke to Revolution
@The Notcoin Official started as a small experiment that nobody took too seriously. It was built by Open Builders, a team working inside the TON (The Open Network) ecosystem. At first, people thought it was just a funny idea — a tap-to-earn game inside Telegram where you only had to tap a golden coin to collect points. Its whitepaper was literally blank pages, showing how it wasn’t meant to be serious.
But what looked like a joke turned into something much bigger. Millions of people joined, and suddenly Notcoin was no longer “just a meme.” The phrase “It’s probably nothing” became ironic, because it was actually something huge.
The timing was perfect. In early 2024, crypto interest was rising again, and Telegram had close to 900 million monthly users. By making the game so simple and playable inside Telegram, Notcoin reached millions of people who had never touched crypto before. No exchanges, no confusing wallets — just a game you could start instantly. That was the secret.
Technical Side: How TON Made It Work
2.1 Blockchain and Integration
Notcoin runs on the TON blockchain, which was originally designed by Telegram’s founders. This made the link between Telegram and Notcoin very natural. TON can handle huge numbers of fast and cheap transactions, which was exactly what Notcoin needed when millions of people were tapping at the same time.
Notcoin itself works as a jetton on TON (like tokens on Ethereum). The developers used TON’s stablecoin contract as a base but removed some parts like governance. They also kept the option to upgrade the contract, so they could add new features later. That flexibility came with risk — if updates weren’t handled carefully, the whole system could break. To avoid this, the team relied on strong security practices like multi-signature wallets and air-gapped devices.
Smart Contract Details
Admins could update the contract anytime. This gave flexibility but also meant centralization risks.
Updates needed to be carefully tested, or the contract could fail.
The system was built to use little energy, making it more eco-friendly than older blockchains.
Gameplay: Taps, Energy, and Community
3.1 The Tap-to-Earn Core
The game was simple: tap the golden coin and earn Notcoins. Each tap gave one coin. The visuals and vibrations made it fun and addictive. But there was a catch — an energy system. You couldn’t just tap forever; energy would run out and slowly recharge. Players could wait or spend coins on boosters to tap more. This kept the game balanced, blocked bots, and made tapping a rhythm instead of endless spam.
Social Features
Notcoin wasn’t just about tapping. Players could form squads and compete on leaderboards. This added teamwork and competition, which drove the game viral. People invited friends, not only for rewards but also to rise together in rankings.
Leaderboards gave players status. If you were at the top, you wanted to stay there. If you were at the bottom, you wanted to climb up. This social pressure kept the game alive.
Timeline of Growth
Date Milestone Users
Late 2023 Idea developed -
Jan 2024 Official launch 1M
Mar 2024 Viral growth 4M
May 2024 NOT token launched 10M+
Mid 2024 Expansion with Lost Dogs game 35M
July 2024 Explore-to-earn launched 40M
Tokenomics: Turning Points into Real Money
4.1 Distribution
Notcoin turned in-game points into real tokens called $NOT . The supply was about 102.7 billion, matching the total points players had earned. This felt fair — no big investors or whales got most of it. Instead, over 10 million holders shared the supply.
When the airdrop happened in May 2024, players claimed their tokens and NOT was listed on major exchanges like Binance, OKX, and Bybit. The token launched around $0.01 and quickly hit a market cap over $1 billion, placing it in the global top 100.
4.2 Value and Utility
The big question was: how to make NOT valuable beyond hype?
Boosters in the game burned tokens, removing them from supply.
NOT became usable in the TON ecosystem for payments and DeFi.
New features like staking and the Explore platform gave people reasons to hold and use tokens.
This made NOT more than a game reward — it became part of TON’s larger economy.
Cultural Impact: Viral Power
5.1 Mainstream Adoption
Notcoin proved that simple fun could bring millions to crypto. In just six months it hit 40 million users. Many of these people had never owned a crypto wallet before. By tapping a coin, they learned about wallets, transfers, and token values without even realizing it.
Telegram played a huge role. Players could easily share progress, invite friends, and chat in groups. The mix of competition, rewards, and easy access made it explode worldwide.
Changing GameFi
Before Notcoin, most blockchain games were complex and time-consuming. Notcoin showed that lightweight games with simple mechanics could succeed far more in user adoption. This gave rise to a wave of similar Telegram games like Hamster Kombat, Catizen, and TapSwap.
Comparison of Telegram Tap-to-Earn Games
Game Users Token Features Status
Notcoin 40M NOT Tap-to-earn, explore-to-earn Token live
Hamster Kombat 300M HMSTR Virtual exchange, puzzles Token coming Sept 2024
Catizen 34M CATI Cat merging, stake-to-earn Token launched Sept 2024
TapSwap 60M TAPS City building, referrals Token coming Oct 2024
X Empire 35M XEMP Empire building, NFTs Airdrop Q4 2024
Challenges and Next Steps
6.1 Problems
Notcoin’s simple tapping couldn’t last forever. Many players came only for money, not fun. Once the airdrop was over, engagement dropped. The repetitive tapping also got boring, and the energy system frustrated some users.
Centralization concerns in the smart contract added another debate. Some in the crypto world disliked the admin controls.
6.2 Evolution
To fix this, Notcoin shifted from tap-to-earn to explore-to-earn. Now, players can earn by trying new dApps in TON. This benefits both sides: users get rewards, and projects get new traffic.
Notcoin also partnered with other games like Lost Dogs, where players can earn NOT and WOOF tokens in quests. The vision is to turn Notcoin into a hub of viral mini-games inside Telegram — a “Netflix for social games.”
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, Notcoin aims to expand beyond tapping and exploring. The team plans to bring AI-powered features, smarter game designs, and more partnerships in Web3. Instead of being remembered only as a tapping game, Notcoin wants to become a lasting gateway into blockchain for millions of people worldwide.