Comment by constantcrying
11 hours ago
I personally hate micro transactions and avoid games like these, especially mobile games, like the plague.
But we have to be honest here, these micro transactions are what consumers want. There is a reason that gatcha games (and paid mechanics of those games are implemented in the games mentioned in the article) are so successful and so popular. Consumers of mobile games, unlike consumers of PC games, enjoy these mechanics, gatcha games are going so far, that the core system of the game is not the gameplay (which is often disregarded as an automated activity), but rather the gatch mechanics.
Yes, these systems are stupid and insane. But they are giving consumers exactly what they want.
Consumers also want opioids and toxic childrens toys, among other harmful things.
An opioid addiction is no where close to dropping a hundred Euros a month on video games. I doubt that many people on here actually would want to ban adults from spending "too much" money on video games. And my comment is in response to the general sentiment that this represents some kind of "anti-consumer" behavior, when there is a large organic market for this and consumer actively want these features.
Personally I am very paternalistic and would support a total ban on these mechanics, together with legal limits of how much money people are allowed to spend on activities like these. Of course making any of these activities available to kids, should be banned as well. This is obviously an extremely unpopular position, since, as I said, consumers really enjoy these mechanics.
> I doubt that many people on here actually would want to ban adults from spending "too much" money on video games
The problem is not "spending too much" on videos games. It's the reward structure designed to incentivise one to spend unbounded amounts - just like a casino.
And just like a casino, I don't know that making them fully illegal is the correct way to go. But we surely shouldn't let kids in the casino, or let casinos advertise to kids, etc.
3 replies →
Yes it is, and we're not talking about a hundred euros. Some people waste their entire paychecks.
Can we agree to stop calling it anything but gambling? Because it's just gambling.
Also, the fact that it's called gotcha (got ya) has always had the hair up on the back of my neck.
It's not named "gatcha" or "gotcha". It's "gacha", derived from ガチャポン.
Like having your bookie in your contacts as 'the scammer'.
>Can we agree to stop calling it anything but gambling? Because it's just gambling.
No. It is not just "gambling" it is a very specific form of gambling, which is unlike most other forms of gambling. E.g. for most other gambling activities, the expectation is that the reward is monetary (see e.g. sports betting, roulette).
This should be clearly demarcated from micro transactions, where a predetermined reward is offered for a fixed amount of money. Lootboxes, where a digital reward (which may or may not be resellable) is given and gatcha mechanics, which are a very specific genre of gambling for digital rewards.
I see no reason why all of these should be treated the same.
>Also, the fact that it's called gotcha (got ya) has always had the hair up on the back of my neck.
Pure coincidence. The name comes from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gashapon