Gotcha!

A facet of startup culture that isn’t getting much attention is that of digital entertainment. The gaming industry is booming, with technology becoming so much more advanced and accessible, an entire economy carrying billions of dollars is just a code, app, and an install away from the innovative entrepreneurs. However, how art imitates life is apparent when a simple aspect of Japanese culture has become a huge component of modern gaming.

“Gacha” refers to the infamous capsule machines of Japan, with millions spread across the country in every shopping centre, and even found in the small corner store. Dropping in 300 yen (approximately USD2.75) and pulling a crank, the machine pops out a unique plastic figure, possibly a rarity amongst the thousands of different models themed off of historical figures or characters from anime, manga, and video games. Evidently of great value for hobbyists, people have spent huge amounts of money, and continue to do so, in order to collect every model out there. This concept of the “gacha” machine has won it’s popularity with the birth of a fandom (fan kingdom, or a large group of followers of a work of fiction with their own subcultures), and has made its way in to the video game industry, where micro transactions and gacha have partnered to make billions of profit for gaming companies.

Beginning from the root of gacha, most gacha games have been developed by Japanese video game companies, where the addictive and obsessive nature of the luck and anticipation of gacha machines have been implemented within the in-game purchases. Such games are programmed so players can collect randomly distributed weapons, armours, and artefacts either by grinding (continuously playing and improving) for extended periods of time with little chance of actually winning these items, or by increasing their chances exponentially with how much they spend in-game for loot boxes.

Gamers are no longer unfamiliar to the word micro transactions, which have been and are being included in most games. Their use is contentious and brings up discussions amongst the gaming community more often now than before. 

There are various studies done on video game addiction, but little research done on gacha gaming and the addictive nature of it, which in general is overlooked. Players of these games don’t even realise that they have developed a gambling addiction until their bank accounts give them a surprising red note balance. With mobile games being developed to adapt to the busy work-schedule of your average 9-5 worker, one of the fastest growing genres of games is the gacha games. It is built on the idea that players can dip in and out for a quick round of small, but rewarding tasks. 

The relevance of this is that micro-transactions are only a few taps away in the small pocket device so accessible to anyone, and gambling for better loot is the inevitable outcome as players are rewarded with a shortcut to reach the top ranks in-game through this. 

These are games that have online multiplayer challenges, where players are ranked on global scales. What quicker and easier way to reach the top than investing in a bunch of random, but rewarding micro transactions? 

Not all games that include in-app purchases push one in to a spending spree. How gacha games fall in to the pit of gambling addiction is that by nature, it presents a highly random pool of items which frequently prompts players to invest in. It is, in a sense, a form of gambling just without monetary payouts. It takes only a few minutes for the dedicated hobbyist to spend a huge amount of money to roll multiple rounds of the gacha die in hopes of collecting the best of the items. 

The thrill of the lottery, risking “only a few dollars” and anticipation of winning a long awaited rarity gives the same appeal of gambling. These games don’t need to have in-depth characters nor intricate storylines built up over long periods. It is the instant rise in power and rank that matters in progressing. 

Most games made free-to-play offer multiple bundles for purchase in order to obtain rare and or limited items in-game. Do keep in mind, that although the conversation leans to how the average worker ends up losing all money on gacha game gambling, it is people with money to spare that really spend on these games. 

Generally, the easily accessible packages can vary from $0.99 to $20. These are daily, weekly, and monthly packages which gives the player a sense of control over their expenditure. But in reality, all it does is build a habit of spending over a long course of time, ensuring that purchase to be made on a routine basis. Investing in these transactions has great appeal for not only collectors, but also competitive players by how it skips over the grind to level up and instead, instantly builds up the character or item. 

Another factor that fuels the addiction is that these micro transactions stack up. There are some more expensive packs that provide incentives such as limited time items, seasonal items, or extremely rare items which are otherwise, nearly impossible to obtain for free to play players. That one extra roll for a random special pack is constantly encouraged, giving limited time offers and discounts which do not account for the daily packs the player may already be paying for. It also adds that the gacha mechanics implements the loot-box mechanic, where each purchase gives not one, but many items out of which there is the advertised “lucky” chance of winning a rare prize. To top it off, there are many companies that implement mechanics that directly reward players who spend more money in one sitting. 

There have been cases where some developers have been accused of deliberately misrepresenting the probability of gacha items. Out of a random pool of items, the algorithm maintains an equal chance per roll for each item, but the illusion of getting closer with each roll has been depicted in many of these games. 

This had come to a point where some countries have been pushed to implement laws to protect players from possible extortion out of gacha gaming. 

Gaming companies have implemented gambling mechanics more and more over the past few years and are aimed at not only adults, but very easily at children as well. With the easy access to loot-box mechanics in gacha games being presented as bonus rewards, it is a temptation which can be attained ever so easily. 

Yet, here’s the catch; other than fellow players with the experience, there are no precautions, no warnings, no disclaimers of the risk that comes with these games. In-app purchases are expected to be a norm, but paired with gacha mechanics, the risk of falling in to the gambling addiction from the need to raise in ranks and earn top titles, along with the shear thrill of the lottery and risky uncertainty are too easily overlooked until the damage has already been dealt. Even after the realisation, it is difficult to swallow that the player had invested thousands of dollars in to just one game.