Since touchscreens became universal, the games people play have reorganised around a single gesture, and tap-and-win is what that gesture produced. Tap, tap, tap, wrapped in aesthetics and mechanics designed to hold attention, is enough to carry a game — and enough to build a business on. This article sets out how a game like Carn-Evil Cash Grab is put together, from what it is to what it costs in time, with Wizards as your game development partner.
What a tap and win game like Carn-Evil Cash Grab is
Carn-Evil Cash Grab is a tap and win game set in a spooky circus, where the player taps the screen to shoot evil zombie rubber duckies for a win. The dynamic underneath is deliberately simple, and the theme is what makes it memorable rather than the rules. Betting and progressing unlocks further attractions with zombie ducks and evil clown bosses, so the game gets harder without ever getting more complicated to play.
How does Carn-Evil Cash Grab work?
The player makes a bet and taps the screen to shoot the zombie rubber ducks on display. Knocking a duck down earns a profit, reflected in the overall balance, and the mechanics can add extra rewards for taking down specific items. That is the whole loop, and its shortness is the point: instant entertainment with an instant result.
The features that carry the game
Playability is built out of specific features rather than one idea, and these are the ones Carn-Evil Cash Grab leans on.
A circus nightmare
The theme combines a terrifying setting with the sounds of a zombie-infested circus, and each new scenario carries the same nightmarish register while the ducks get harder to clear.
Rubber duck annihilator
The core action is shooting the zombie ducks taking over the circus, and speed is what the player is rewarded for.
Circus madness to explore
Different types of zombie duck have characteristics of their own, and conquering levels brings harder objectives rather than simply more of them.
Cash prizes
Progressing through the game brings the opportunity to win cash prizes, which is what gives the tapping stakes.
Bonuses and boosts
Players earn bonuses and boosts that improve shooting ability or increase earnings, including bonuses for shooting a specific combination of rubber ducks.
Immersive visual effects
Animations and visual effects run through the whole session, and in a game this short they do much of the work of making a round feel like an event.
Rankings
An integrated online ranking tracks progress and shows which players sit above and below, so a solo game gets a competitive dimension.
Responsible gaming and spend limits
Responsible gaming and spend-limit settings are built into Carn-Evil Cash Grab, so the player can hold the experience where they want it.
Why a tap and win game is worth building
Tap and win games reach an audience that will not learn a control scheme, and that is the commercial case for the genre. A game like Carn-Evil Cash Grab holds engagement through an addictive loop, and it plays on the go without complex controls or prior knowledge. That combination is what makes the market a large one.
How a tap and win game makes money
Simple tap mechanics leave room for monetisation that would intrude on a more demanding game, and there are three routes worth planning for.
- In-app purchases: goodies, levels, features and special items that help a player progress faster, bought inside the game.
- Advertisement: messages shown during gameplay.
- Subscriptions: sign-up that unlocks extra content, features and benefits, often in several tiers.
- Cross-platform mobile client
- Project-appropriate data store
- Server-side services
- Realtime data and communication
- Cloud deployment
- Container orchestration and scaling
- Responsible-play and spend-limit controls
The technology stack a tap and win game needs
Seven components carry a game like Carn-Evil Cash Grab, and each is chosen for a specific job rather than for the stack’s sake.
- React Native: a JavaScript-based framework for building mobile applications from a single codebase, using familiar web technologies.
- SQL or MongoDB: the database. Both store and manage the data; which one suits depends on the project’s requirements.
- Nest: a framework for building efficient and scalable server-side applications.
- Firebase: a real-time database with authentication and user management.
- Socket.io: real-time multiplayer that runs smoothly across devices.
- DigitalOcean: the platform the game is deployed to in the cloud.
- Kubernetes: container orchestration for deploying, managing and scaling the game.
How long does it take to develop a game like Carn-Evil Cash Grab?
Twelve weeks, on our own process and with our team on it. That figure is what we estimate for a game of this scope rather than an industry benchmark, and it assumes the planning below happens in order rather than in parallel.
Concept creation
The first step in successful game developing is setting the main ideas and objectives — the complexity of the mechanics, the number of levels, and the overall graphic aesthetic. Everything after this stage is expensive to change.
Game design
The ideas are polished and curated for the audience, and every aspect of the game is detailed with the intent of making the experience immersive rather than merely functional.
Programming
Programmers turn the concept into smooth gameplay with seamless transitions and responsive interactions, which is where a simple loop either feels good or does not.
Artwork and sound
The art and design team build the register the game lives in — the look of the undead ducks, the laughter of the evil clown carnival owner — and in a themed game that work is not decoration.
Testing
The team examines every aspect of the game, finding and fixing bugs, glitches and performance issues, and this is the stage where the mechanics get tuned.
Polishing
The graphics, audio and user interface are refined last, which is what turns a working game into one people stay in.
Who is on the team
Six roles build a game of this size: a back-end developer, a front-end developer, a UI and UX designer, an artist, a QA engineer and a project manager. We hold to the demands of each creative step and to your time in equal measure, because a game that ships late and a game that ships unfinished fail in the same way.
Build your own tap and win game
Whether you are starting from a theme or from a mechanic, developing a game like Carn-Evil Cash Grab is a defined piece of work with a defined shape — and we have done it. Bring us the idea and we will take it from concept to launch. Talk to us.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tap and win game?
A tap and win game is a game whose whole mechanic is that the player taps the screen to earn a reward. It is built for instant entertainment: no complex controls, no learning curve, and a result the player sees immediately.
How does Carn-Evil Cash Grab work?
The player places a bet and taps the screen to shoot zombie rubber ducks on display. Knocking a duck down earns a profit that is reflected in the overall balance, and the mechanics can include extra rewards for knocking down particular items.
How long does it take to develop a game like Carn-Evil Cash Grab?
On our own process, twelve weeks, from concept creation through game design, programming, artwork and sound, testing and polishing. That figure is our estimate for a game of this scope, not an industry benchmark.
Which technologies does a tap and win game need?
The stack behind Carn-Evil Cash Grab is React Native for the client, SQL or MongoDB for the database, Nest for server-side services, Firebase for the real-time database, authentication and user management, Socket.io for real-time multiplayer, DigitalOcean for deployment and Kubernetes for orchestration and scaling.
How does a tap and win game make money?
Three routes, and most games use more than one: in-app purchases of items, levels or features that help a player progress faster; advertisements shown during gameplay; and subscriptions that unlock extra content, features and benefits.
Who is on the team that builds a tap and win game?
A back-end developer, a front-end developer, a UI and UX designer, an artist, a QA engineer and a project manager. That is the shape of the team we put on a game of this size.
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