Gacha games are wildly popular in Japan, and they’ve been gaining traction with western gamers. Gacha game fraud is an online scam that happens when players pay money to get an item they can earn for free. The thing is, there’s nothing illegal about gacha games. And developers aren’t responsible for the actions of their players. According to Raghib Khan, this scam isn’t a fraud. Here’s what he thinks:
The psychology of a gacha game player
The gacha game has been a phenomenon in Japan for decades, but it has recently taken over the world, bringing in billions of dollars in revenue. The gacha game is simple, with two cards to choose from and three random cards offered at the end. The odds are all even, so there’s no advantage to buying more than one card, but people are buying hundreds.
“The psychology of gacha gaming is an exciting study, and it is a coping mechanism for those who feel that they have little control over their lives. Faced with an uncertain future, people can control the outcome of a lottery or draw. The average human has a natural tendency to gamble.” elucidates Raghib Khan, RNF Technologies.
A 2015 study conducted by Professor David Just of Cornell University in New York found that people have an unconscious tendency to accept randomness if they feel they have no control over their lives. This was especially true for those who felt economically insecure and had low self-esteem.
“We find that individuals with higher levels of insecurity exhibit a stronger tendency to perceive randomness when they lack control over.”
Why do people think that gacha games are a scam?
Gacha games are a type of Japanese video game virtually unknown in the West but have exploded in popularity in the East. In these games, players use virtual currency to purchase digital collectibles to complete a set and earn rewards.
To Western eyes, it looks like an elaborate scam. Gacha games are designed to make players feel like they’re collecting something special, and there’s a sense of scarcity as each player scrambles to collect their favorite items before they run out.
Raghib Khan from RNF Technologies explains, “The truth is much less sinister than it appears at first glance. Players are not buying these items; they’re earning them. The characters, the costumes, and the weapons can all be obtained by playing through a game. In some cases, players have to work hard to earn the right to keep playing — but they can’t simply pay their way out of the game with real money.
Why are gacha games not a scam?
Gacha games, popular in Japanese mobile games, are not a scam, and they are an innovative way of monetizing freemium games and raising brand awareness. Gacha games provide the player with random items or characters when they spend money on a randomized box or gacha for short.
The main reason that gacha games are not a scam is that it is up to the player whether or not they want to spend money on the game. The player has to manually buy the gacha, which means that the player has to be in the game to work actively.
According to Raghib Khan, “Gacha games aren’t a scam, and they are a sadistic form of monetization that is purposely designed to engage players with the addictive thrill of gambling. Gacha games, like any game or gambling mechanism, are purposefully designed to keep players in their system so that they can make money off them.”
Yet, unlike rigged slot machines and the like, gacha games don’t systematically cheat players out of their money. They have a set payout rate that ranges from 60-90%. Even if you rack up losses, the odds are still in your favor because you’ll eventually win something. Gacha games don’t cheat players; they just make it hard to get what you want.
Why are gacha games so popular?
Raghib Khan also believes, “That last part has made gacha games a success for the companies that design them. It turns out that gamers are more than willing to spend their money on gacha games if it means they can get the rare character or item they want. It’s an incredibly effective monetization strategy, and it has turned gacha games into a $5 billion industry in Japan alone at least.”
Gacha games also benefit companies: they’re a great way to promote other products. Companies like Nintendo, Bandai Namco, and Sega will often put characters from their franchises into gacha games so that fans of those franchises will be more likely to play the game. The result is that the company makes money on both ends – gamers buy their gacha game and buy character-related merchandise later.
What do gacha games tell us about the future of gaming and tech?
Gacha games are not just cute, and they’re the future of gaming. Gacha games are a game that players can access through their smartphones. The player obtains a random assortment of digital items called “gacha” and can use these to enhance their gameplay experience.
This relatively new form of gaming is captivating because players can collect digital items and trade them with friends to create personalized collections of gachas. This is a novelty that is drawing many gamers to the format.
Gacha games are so popular that they have even been banned in China because of the social consequences they bring. Gacha game mechanics rely on a reward-based system that makes players want to play more and more. Gacha games have quickly become one of the most profitable gaming formats in Japan, the USA, South Korea, and worldwide. This is mainly due to the addictive nature of these games. This has increased digital asset trading, creating a more virtual financial literacy.
Closing thoughts
While concluding, Raghib Khan adds, “Fraud can be a scary thing to think about, but Gacha games are not always as bad as people make it out to be. For instance, the most common type of fraud is when players are tempted into spending more than they should on gacha games. This is not a scam because while you spend additional money, you still receive what you paid for.”
Hi, I am Adam Smith, Admin Of TechSketcher, Creative blogger and Digital Marketer.