Your Opinion on Gacha Games

[your local goomy]

For those who don't know, a gacha game is, according to definitions.net, "a genre of video games that implement the gacha (toy vending machine) mechanic. Similar to loot boxes (prize crate) in video games, gacha games induce players to spend in-game currency to receive a random virtual item. Most of these games are free-to-play mobile games, where the gacha serves as an incentive to spend real-world money." This genre seems to be loved by some and despised by others, so I was curious on your opinion of them.

I've played a handful of gacha games, my most recent one being Pokémon Masters EX. And, I'm going to be honest and say that I hate them. Why, exactly? Because they work on me. I spent an embarrassing amount of time on Pokémon Masters EX trying to get a seasonal skin of a character, and the feeling that I got from finally getting her was this stupid high that I ONLY get from getting crap I want on gacha games. In the past, I unfortunately was the type of person who would spend crap amounts of money on gacha games and STILL not get what I wanted. It doesn't really help that I'm an impulsive gambler, but still. It wasn't good. Though, now that I'm older and a lot cheaper than I was as a youngster, I constantly remind myself that I'm NOT going to spend real money on getting a character or whatever from a video game, but I'm always risking it, since I keep my debit card linked to my Google account for YouTube Premium purposes. Since I get lured into spending way too much money on those games, I usually decide that I'm better safe than sorry and stay away from them, but as a huge Pokémon geek, I can't stay away from Masters. My tendency to empty my wallet on seasonal events is also PRECISELY why I didn't download Mario Kart Tour, and if I actively played Sonic Runners whilst it was still running, I'd probably be bankrupt.

All in all, I dislike gacha games for effectively draining the bank accounts of impulsive gamblers gullible enough to spend money on them, such as myself, but I'll always prefer microtransactions instead of being bombarded with ads. Because of my own gullibility, however, I choose to stay away from them, and if I play one, usually delete it once I start debating spending real money on it. So, what are your opinion of this genre? Do you find yourself enticed like I do?

 

[Corrie]

I don't like them. I have an addictive personality so I avoid these types of games like the plague. I don't like how exploitive they feel.

 

[daringred_]

i think they're scummy, to be honest. the mechanic preys on those who are impulsive/naive and younger people (kids, teens) and relies on the fear of missing out. i've only ever played two gacha games -- ACPC, which i still have, and MK Tour, which i deleted years ago due to storage -- and they're pretty tame, i think, compared to the descriptions i've heard of other gacha games. personally, i'm not the type to be affected by them. i'm painfully frugal, and it takes a lot of convincing to make me even spend money on something i really want irl. when it comes to gacha games, i just take what i can get through free play and cross my fingers. i'd say it pays off a good 50% of the time, and that's enough for me. that being said, i hate how they exploit people who are effected by FOMO or who are more easily swayed. i've got no issue with pay-to-play so long as it's transparent and clear what you're buying, but gacha purchases certainly aren't that.

 

[TillyGoesMeow]

Yeah, these games stink imo. If you're not spending money then you're spending way too much time getting the specific item/story route/etc you want. I hardly ever buy myself anything and I'm certainly not gonna buy something for a free game when there are so many gacha games that come out.
I think any of these type of games should count as gambling and should be 18+ at least. I know a lot of kids who beg their parents for money not understanding why it's such a scam. My mom has a massive issue with these games & spends a lot of money on them. It's just gross idk. They can be very addictive.

 

[.: Meri :.]

Generally speaking, the gameplay of gacha games tends to be a bit too time-consuming and grind-y for my liking, and I'm not someone who usually minds having to grind a bit in games. I'm also trying to avoid any more games that want you to play daily/have limited real-time events, as that stresses me out after a while. I prefer being able to play at my leisure. Because I know I have some obsessive traits and some rather unhelpful anxiety issues, I stay away from them and just look for any PNGs I'm interested in online.
Back when I was trying out some gacha games though, I was still being very selective about the ones I play. I played One Piece Treasure Cruise for a while because my favorite, Koby, is a side character, not hugely powerful compared to the rest of the cast, and who doesn't get too much focus. So I could save up for his stuff exclusively and still keep it F2P or close to it. I never touched Bleach Brave Souls though, because my favorite Bleach character is Kisuke, who is pretty powerful and popular, and that just screamed "nigh impossible to get in a gacha" to me. And any mobile romance or romance-adjacent game with a serious gacha mechanic is an automatic no from me, because I know that stuff would work way way wayyy too well on me and stress me the heck out.

But yeah, they strike me as being pretty exploitative too, if I'm being honest. I wish more gacha would implement things like having no repeat pulls (to limit how much people can spend for a certain character), not having limited-time only events, etc; basically just be a little less predatory than they can often be. As it is, the people who can play for fun and not get caught up in it to a harmful degree aren't exactly the main target audience.

 

[Holla]

Honestly not a fan of them. Only one I play is Fire Emblem Heroes as I've liked it the most of any and Fire Emblem is one of my favourite series of all time. Even so there's still a lot I don't like about it so that's why I only stick to one gacha game.

 

[CylieDanny]

When it comes to Gacha games, well I love them first of all, second you gotta see what is free.

My rule is to see what is free, what can you do that doesnt cost any money? Second, if I buy something will I regret it? Which is something you really gotta think on

Otherwise just enjoy playing it, don't worry about that, and just play what the game does offer!

 

[fairysyndrome]

as someone who plays a few gacha games and is genuinely fond of the ones i do play (and was fond of the ones i used to play before i quit for the very same reasons a lot of gacha gamers struggle): hate them. hate hate hate gacha mechanics and setups and how exploitative they are and how easily people fall prey to them. especially the ones with terrible pull rates (ex. love live!, fe heroes, love nikki, and from what i've heard, genshin impact)

 

[DarkDesertFox]

I have a lot of problems with gacha games. Like other people have stated, they are designed to be addictive and exploit people who are more prone to give into that type of gambling addiction. Minors are also not protected from these types of games and they are some of the most vulnerable to the mechanics. I hate how successful they are too because instead of paying a buck or two like in the good old days for a fun app, so many apps are just free with nothing but microtransactions. One thing I hate about most apps these days in general is they are online only so eventually the app will be shut down and you will never be able to access any of your stuff again which is even worse for these gacha games you soak your money into. I've definitely spent a decent chunk of change on these types of apps in the past and I end up getting burnt out from the repetitive gameplay never coming back to it.

 

[your local goomy]

I have a lot of problems with gacha games. Like other people have stated, they are designed to be addictive and exploit people who are more prone to give into that type of gambling addiction. Minors are also not protected from these types of games and they are some of the most vulnerable to the mechanics. I hate how successful they are too because instead of paying a buck or two like in the good old days for a fun app, so many apps are just free with nothing but microtransactions. One thing I hate about most apps these days in general is they are online only so eventually the app will be shut down and you will never be able to access any of your stuff again which is even worse for these gacha games you soak your money into. I've definitely spent a decent chunk of change on these types of apps in the past and I end up getting burnt out from the repetitive gameplay never coming back to it.

Definitely agree with the online part, most familiar to me was the case of Sonic Runners. Heavy gacha game that constantly got screwed up by the devs to the point where it was shut down and everyone who paid money for it lost it. Of course it's not the only example, but it's one that hits close to home for me.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

The only gacha game I play is Genshin Impact, and I really enjoy it. I think they are surprisingly generous with their currency. I'm not F2P (I am a light spender) but if I was, and if I was smart with my primo gems (the currency), I'd still be able to get a 5 star character that I wanted once in a while.

Honestly, I think if it's a F2P game, then it's understandable that they would have mico-transactions/a gacha system because they need to make money somehow. If it's a game you have to buy in order to play + micro-transactions/gacha system on top, well that's just sh***y.

 

[DragonAceSg7]

I fell for many gachas for a while. I used to pay 5 bucks a month in Food Fantasy, now a game I barely touch because they just kept adding more garbage and making it even harder to get characters outside of just the luck of the draw. It was straight-up 'spend or don't get.' After watching some vids talk about the psychology behind these games and how they target whales, I vowed to never spend another cent on any of them, that includes Pokemon Go (which may be not quite gacha, but they do enough to try and trick/force you into paying). I feel good having stopped spending but sometimes kick myself for how much I did spend.

I think most of them are terrible. They aren't even fun and are just there to trick you into spending money and I agree, they should have these games age-rated and locked but we know that will never happen.

I do play Genshin because like what has been mentioned, they are fairly generous with their currency and I'll be straight up honest, there is a LOT to do that costs nothing and I enjoy the combat. As I get more characters and my World Level goes up, I do feel the pressure to pay to help get materials but I don't and I'm still pretty happy playing it. Childe is wonderfully crazy and Razor is the best.

Overall, I can't stand them, though feel a little hypocritical saying that since I do still play one or two.

 

[Tao]

Same opinion as with Loot boxes. I don't mind them in games where you can't pay for them with actual money.

Once real money comes into it the mechanic is no longer a fun randomized gameplay feature to keep you coming back, it's an infinite cash grab preying on peoples FOMO.

 

[skarmoury]

What I don't like about gacha games is that they're absolutely addicting and predatory to people with very easy access to their savings. It targets the impulsive people to whale. Gambling, basically. But since irl gambling games like casinos exist, I doubt gacha games with the very same aspect will die down any time soon.

That being said, I do play two gacha games (Bandori and Genshin) but I can handle my savings pretty well. I've never spent on Bandori and I've so far only spent $10 on Genshin. The 'pity system' ("pull x amount of times and you get to choose a guaranteed highest-tier character/item") seems to compensate a bit for spending a lot, but in general gacha games still have this bad rap to them.

I know I sound very hypocritical criticizing gacha games but still play (and pay for) some of them. I'm really stingy with my money though and swear to only spend when I really really really want something. I've been skipping most of the banners in Genshin since I started in early May and only pulled a lot in the Kazuha banner, and I'm skipping banners again for the next two months to save up for Kokomi banner.

Beyond the gacha aspect of Bandori and Genshin though, both are very fun in their own gameplay and you don't need to pay to clear any of their content at all. Of course you need to spend to get higher scores, but these really don't stop you from completing the base game.

 

[DragonAceSg7]

What I don't like about gacha games is that they're absolutely addicting and predatory to people with very easy access to their savings. It targets the impulsive people to whale. Gambling, basically. But since irl gambling games like casinos exist, I doubt gacha games with the very same aspect will die down any time soon.

That being said, I do play two gacha games (Bandori and Genshin) but I can handle my savings pretty well. I've never spent on Bandori and I've so far only spent $10 on Genshin. The 'pity system' ("pull x amount of times and you get to choose a guaranteed highest-tier character/item") seems to compensate a bit for spending a lot, but in general gacha games still have this bad rap to them.

I know I sound very hypocritical criticizing gacha games but still play (and pay for) some of them. I'm really stingy with my money though and swear to only spend when I really really really want something. I've been skipping most of the banners in Genshin since I started in early May and only pulled a lot in the Kazuha banner, and I'm skipping banners again for the next two months to save up for Kokomi banner.

Beyond the gacha aspect of Bandori and Genshin though, both are very fun in their own gameplay and you don't need to pay to clear any of their content at all. Of course you need to spend to get higher scores, but these really don't stop you from completing the base game.

I was thinking on that, feeling hypocritical while playing Gatchas, cause I was feeling the same way. I think the fact we're aware of what they are like and wish to make others aware is still a good thing. We're able to make our own decisions and since we've actually played these games, we can better help others understand how they work. Gatchas are not going anywhere, anytime soon. Might as well play the ones that have a modicum of fairness (like you mentioned, the pity system in Genshin) and be able to weed out the really terrible ones.

 

[Xara]

i like the gameplay aspect of them for the most part, but i can’t play them as no matter what i’m able to do for free, i will wind up spending way too much IRL money, only to get bored of the game a week later.

my addictive personality, poor spending habits and flightiness don’t mix well lol.

 

[DJStarstryker]

Definitely depends on the game. My husband plays a lot of Mahjong Soul, which is technically a gacha game. But it's only gacha for the aesthetic aspects (unlocking characters, alternate outfits, table decorations, etc). The actual gameplay itself is not gacha at all, nor does it have daily cooldown timers or anything like that. He's been playing since January and hasn't put any money into it at all, and some days he plays for a few hours in a row too.

In general though, I do not like nor have any interest in gacha games.

 

[AustinTEG06]

your story is funny because I did exactly that to get free gems and got 2 of the character i wanted which is kinda lucky but my opinion is I don’t care some are fun like I used to play the OG of the gacha life games and they were fun even though I got a lot of free gems because they games was no longer being updated

 

[idiotdoomspiral]

I am an impulsive spender so gacha games, especially when i was younger, were super bad for me, but now that i earn more money and know how to manage my spending a little better it's not so bad. Most of my experiences with gacha games are very short-lived but i do enjoy them for what they are. A game with an awful pity system like genshin is a no-go for me, even then i think genshin does a better job than most of them out there. The only gacha i play atm is guardian tales and have only bought a couple of cheap packs here and there

 

[Croconaw]

I don’t like them. Games like those have never interested me.