As mobile technology continues to grow, mobile games have become more and more developed and have the point of almost offering handheld-like experience.
My biggest rule of thumb when it comes to these mobile games is simple, if the gameplay is fun and it rewards you well for the time you’ve spent, then all else will fall in line. I’ve played a lot of mobile games over these past few years, a lot of it has to do with trying pass time while on the bus or the tram. And in all those years, I’ve noticed that people enjoy spending a lot money on these gacha games.
The term Gacha means a monetization model for video games. In the model, the game displays multiple items for players to randomly draw for a price, similar to the Gashapon (or “gacha”) vending machine. I am very picky when it comes to these gacha games. I’m more than willing to try them out but, as soon as I realize that I gotta shell out some cash to enjoy the game, then I’ll simply drop it. Of course, I can only speak for myself. Many people have no problem dropping money on these games. Why is that?
Well, from my observation I can only propose two theories to this. The first idea is honestly quite simply, it’s addicting. However, when I say addicting, I don’t necessary mean in a good way, I’m more referring to the gambling aspect but on a much smaller scale. Gambling is the wagering of money or something of value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning money or material goods. Most gacha games follow this similar format with summoning or pulls.
Now there’s nothing wrong with summoning or pulls in these gacha games if they’re done right as they can be a fun aspect of the game. However if the entirety of the game revolves around spending money on these summoning to have fun, and there’s no way for you to earn the currency needed through free-to-play, then that’s where I gotta draw the line. I believe that these gacha games need to draw a fine line of offering a free to play experience along side the summoning/pulls.
The second theory is the community aspect of it. Nowadays we share everything we do online, and what’s more fun than sharing what you’ve pulled from a banner with your fellow peers. It’s that aspect that has given games like Dokkan such a huge presence and success in my opinion. Everyone wants to be part of something, and when you see your favorite youtuber making videos on their pulls and they pull something great or trash, you want to experience it with them.
Despite the positive aspect of the second theory, I still feel like it does more harm than good at the end of the day. When companies see how well games like Dokkan are doing, a game in which the gameplay is bare minimum and people are still willing to spend hundreds of dollars, it’s gonna send a bad message.
That’s why I praise games like Bleach: Brave Souls and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links. These games reward you for you time and efforts and while offering a healthy gacha experience.
Let me know you thoughts on this topic.
