This is a personal perspective, shaped by our experience building Farville on Farcaster and talking with some players or users in the network

Miniapps — especially games — are a massive opportunity for Farcaster’s user growth. Following the arc of a (g)old article from Chris Dixon, a new dynamic is playing out: come for the miniapp, stay for the network.

And it’s not just theory: it’s happening.

Even Linda (Dev Ecosystem Lead @ Farcaster), on a recent podcast episode confirmed that this is already happening at a small scale with games like Farcade and Farville.

Get people through the door with something fun, useful, or habit-forming. A miniapp that makes sense right away. No need to "get" farcaster from day one. You just… play a word game, track a bet, mint something fun, or plant a carrot.

And here’s the underrated part: miniapps don’t just work for crypto people, if done well, they can work for everyone else.

Your friends, your partner, your parents suddenly become part of something onchain without even realizing it. No need to explain wallets or protocols. Just good vibes, good games, and a gradual path into the network.

And if it’s good? You come back. Again and again.

Then you start noticing the rest: who else is playing, casting, reacting. Maybe you get a follow. Maybe someone requests you a carrot. And just like that, you’re in a loop that’s bigger than the app — you’re in the network.

That’s where the magic happens. When the miniapp becomes a portal, and the solo moment becomes social.

Miniapps are the spark, the network is the fire.

This isn’t the only way to grow a social protocol (and of course that alone might not be enough). We've seen other ecosystems go all in on open network-first. But starting from zero is brutal.

Miniapps give you a low-friction onramp. A reason to show up. A reason to come back, and eventually, a reason to stay.

One cast turns into two. One game becomes a group. One follow becomes a feed. And that miniapp that hooked you? It fades into the background, what matters is the people you met along the way.

Play, connect, post, repeat. That’s how networks grow.