Geeky Nerd

I would like to make a post about gacha games and how not to drown in their sea of micro transactions. This post may not be of much use to those who are familiar with this type of games, but for those who are skeptical or believe that you cannot play gacha without wasting money, I will try to explain how the system works and whether it’s needed.

What is Gacha?

It’s a type (notice, not a genre) of video game which includes some type of gambling mechanic as part of its core systems. The name gacha comes from the Japanese gachapon machines which give you random objects usually in for of characters or equipment.

Most of the gachas are free-to-play with many possible in-game transactions. The vast majority of these games are strategies which revolve around team or deck building and synergies between different characters.

Some of the most popular examples are Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves, Honkai: Star Rail, and RAID: Shadow Legends. Nonetheless, it wasn’t any of those games that made me write this post in the first place, it was Cookie Run: Kingdom. (Not sponsored nor affiliated, I just love silly jesters and I have recently found one more for my collection)

Is gacha even worth spending money on?

Yes and no. If you can, then depends on what you want out of the game. If you cannot spend, then, trust me it’s not necessary. I’ve played a bunch of gachas and to put it extremely simply, I think of them as free trial with an opportunity of purchasing some of its product. Like WinRAR, but a game.

Now I believe, everyone wants to make sensible purchases, so I want to explain how gacha tricks you to believe that you need to spend and how in reality all you truly need is to wait a little. The main tactic of gacha is to create lack of resources to push you into purchases and here’s how it works:

Trick One: First it goes fast, then it goes slow

Whether it’s a game where you have to wait physically like Cookie Run: Kingdom or Genshin Impact where you need to level up characters and Adventure Rank, the first twenty levels or so shall be very quick but then the amount of resources that you would require may grow noticeably. This is a psychological trick many people are actually familiar with: when you repeat the same thing multiple times, your brain start to recognize the pattern, so when the pattern is broken, you try to correct it. Don’t.

At times like this it’s best to let the game sit for a while or switch your attention from progression to something else otherwise you will feel like you stand in one place which can make you feel more inclined to spend money on the game. It’s not worth it. The process of growth is the gameplay, you deprive yourself of playing the game by buying this progress. Besides, at some point you may find the limit to your financial capabilities, and nobody wants that.

I played gachas before I could spend any money on games and I played them just fine. Yes, it feels tedious sometimes but at times like this I would turn away from the phone and continue my life in the real world. If I were too obsessed with some game, I would strategize my next moves in there on paper, research the game’s lore or write fanfics or draw. After all, there is more to game that just the game, community is also part of it.

Trick Two: Sweet Deals Come At Bitter Costs

If a game gives you only a couple of days or less to think about the purchase before it’s done, it’s a bad purchase regardless of how good the loot it provides is. Now there are exceptions, but some things may be constantly on same, so I prefer to observe the game for at least a few day if not weeks before thinking about making any purchases there.

One of the worst examples of it is the starter pack. Yes, it can boost your account but at the same time, you don’t know if you even will play this game for a long time. As a rule, I tend not to make any purchases the first month of the play to see how well I will like its core loop. Additionally, some games have got certain secondary mechanics that you may like better than the main one which will be boosted by the starter pack.

For instance, when I started playing Reverse: 1999, it’s main focus was on the characters players are meant to pull for while I have wasted all the in-game currency which was given to me in the start onto my island for it to look pretty and I don’t regret it. I know that I don’t need many characters in order to advance, so I’ve set my priorities and only then thought about what I can give to the game.

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As a little side note, I want to say that I usually make a purchase of less than 5 euros (usually 1-2 euros) in games that manage to hold my attention for at least a couple of weeks as a token of gratitude for the positive emotions that the game provided me. After all, if it’s fine to buy games why can’t I support developers who allow me to play for free?

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Trick Tree: Know Your Limits

Unlike games that you buy at a certain price, gacha games haven’t got a price tag and it’s possible to pour a lot of your savings into a game, so I prefer to set a certain budget which should not be breached under any circumstances. For me, it’s 10 euros a month. If a purchase takes more than that I either don’t make it or withdraw the excess from next month. I may also “save” for an expensive purchase by not spending money on games for some time. It helps me play several gachas at the same time without worrying that I will spend what I cannot afford.

For instance, I wanted one cosmetic in AFK: Journey but it cost 24 euros, so I have never bought it until one event that cut it cost in half. Yes, it took a year, but I got it now and I love it. I could live without it entirely, but I love this game way too much. I don’t buy anything else in it anymore. I feel comfortable. Just like with Genshin, I was buying only month deal for the in-game currency, Welkin Moon, for about a year there and now I’ve got so many unbuilt characters it cured my desire to get more. I mean it, if you play long enough, you’ll have all you want. That’s why the title asks you to learn zen. Patience is the key to thrive in gacha.

After playing the same game for two years or so, you will definitely fee comfortable even as a free-to-play. Time and patience is the key to every gacha.

Final Thoughts on Gacha

If you strongly believe that gacha games are predatory and made to steal all your money away… you are not wrong. At the same time, many of the games also provide stories that would be hard to tell in one single game that you buy. Think of the Final Fantasy VII remake, it’s a trilogy now due to it’s sheer complexity and amount of content that it provides. Gacha games are that but with extra steps. The extra often being a boring grind that can be sped up by real money. All the games I have described above, except RAID: Shadow Legends, that one I haven’t played, are examples of intriguing characters and thrilling tales under a guise of a bunch of little mobile games. Many people don’t play them because they are afraid to loose their money. I can understand that, but, I hope, may give you some tips on how to manage this fear.

All you truly need is to remember that the game is meant to be played for fun OR ranks. Not two at the same time. This is a folly I haven’t talked much about, but the majority of gacha games have got a ranking system. Don’t pay attention to it if you want a chill experience. And if you want to flaunt to your friends that you are first in a gacha game, then be prepared to shapeshift into the largest mammal in on planet Earth. Although, do it at your own risk, I do not recommend it.