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8 replies to “What being addicted to gacha games taught me”
I have never commented before, but wanted to quickly do so about how mobile devs actually view you as a player.a video by tribesflame CEO basically confirmed that jts all about hunting whales and the insidious ways / methods they go through to hook a person in and drain them of every cent. Its super sociopathic honestly. Video is here:
Another ex-gacha addict here. I never spent money on gacha games, but I can attest to the ways gacha games are deliberately designed to be addictive. Even if you do not spend any money on gacha games, they’re still massive time sinks because the games are often designed to take a long time to make a meaningful progress, which makes it more tempting to spend money to either speed up the progress, or purchasing powerful items or characters to beat those levels faster.
It is also worth noting that gacha games require internet connection to play because the money exchange in the games are conducted online. This means that once the developer of a gacha games decides to stop maintaining the game and shut down the servers for good, all the time and money you spent on those game are lost forever, and you cannot get them back. This makes the ways gacha game exploits the sunk cost fallacy even worse and more predatory than they already are.
Some gacha games are a lot worse than others at trying to take over your life and/or wallet. I’ve had to run screaming (metaphorically) from a few because of how they were set up.
One gacha game that I found to be very player-friendly is Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space. The only time-limited events are crossovers that last for a full five years, and there’s also no PVP, so you can play entirely at your own pace. Old characters often get new powerups (that you don’t have to gacha for) to bring their power level in line with newer characters, and, unusually for a gacha game, many of the characters you can get outside the gacha are just as useful as the gacha characters and it’s possible to beat almost every enemy with a team of free characters only.
The gacha itself has no pity system so it is hard to get a *specific* brand new character you have your heart set on, but the achievement rewards and daily login bonuses give you enough premium currency over time that you’ll get *someone* good reasonably often without having to use your credit card. On the other hand, if you are inclined to spend money and have some patience, every so often they give you the chance to pay for a “Star Dream Encounter” which lets you pick whatever character you want from a list of all but the very newest characters.
None of this would matter if the game itself wasn’t any good, but fortunately it actually is – the game’s best point is its storytelling, and when its story is good, it’s really, really good.
I just finished reading your post and man, it hit home! Gacha games really do have this crazy grip on us, right? I totally relate to how you described the thrill of pulling for characters; it’s like a mini adrenaline rush every time! Plus, your take on the balance between enjoyment and obsession is spot on.
The way you explained the psychological aspect was eye-opening too—especially how we often chase after that elusive “perfect” character, only to realize it’s not just about the game but also about what it reflects in our lives.
So here’s my question: do you think this obsession with gacha games is just a fun distraction for us, or could there be deeper reasons why so many of us are hooked? Like, are we trying to escape reality or something? I’m curious ’cause I feel there’s more beneath the surface that we kinda brush off.
I personally think at least part of the addictive quality is due to the ability for you to obtain achievements and wins that are more elusive IRL.
Gacha games seem to have the ability to tap in to our competitive drives that can be dormant in our private lives and then use social media to manipulate/encourage people to dive deeper into the game, characters, game systems, and gacha mechanic, which all ultimately encourage retention and spending money.
There is a reason gacha game developers are generally trying to pull you into their social app or discord server. Peer pressure works not just in grade school to affect behavior.
This was very relatable. I have played gacha games for over 4 years, and recently decided to have every account I have ever created deleted and done so currently pending the 30 day period I have to retract my cancellation. I have tracked spending on budgeting software I use and have spent a bit over $3,000 which is ridiculous. The time sink and opportunity cost is ever more expensive however than the money.
Gacha gaming has been a crutch, a coping mechanism to retreat to and avoid responsibilities and grasping for the easy addictive low-grade pleasure available. Similar to porn or other substitutes that don’t quite replace the real thing such as real intimacy in a relationship or accomplishing goals in the real world.
I don’t think gacha gaming is inherently evil or bad but rather akin to alcohol, not bad by itself but in the wrong hands, toxic.
Hi I just created a sub-reddit and think your article is very relevant and may help a lot of young gamers from being caught in the gacha trap. I would love to pin it there. Let me know if it’s permissible.
I have never commented before, but wanted to quickly do so about how mobile devs actually view you as a player.a video by tribesflame CEO basically confirmed that jts all about hunting whales and the insidious ways / methods they go through to hook a person in and drain them of every cent. Its super sociopathic honestly. Video is here:
https://youtu.be/xNjI03CGkb4
Another ex-gacha addict here. I never spent money on gacha games, but I can attest to the ways gacha games are deliberately designed to be addictive. Even if you do not spend any money on gacha games, they’re still massive time sinks because the games are often designed to take a long time to make a meaningful progress, which makes it more tempting to spend money to either speed up the progress, or purchasing powerful items or characters to beat those levels faster.
It is also worth noting that gacha games require internet connection to play because the money exchange in the games are conducted online. This means that once the developer of a gacha games decides to stop maintaining the game and shut down the servers for good, all the time and money you spent on those game are lost forever, and you cannot get them back. This makes the ways gacha game exploits the sunk cost fallacy even worse and more predatory than they already are.
Some gacha games are a lot worse than others at trying to take over your life and/or wallet. I’ve had to run screaming (metaphorically) from a few because of how they were set up.
One gacha game that I found to be very player-friendly is Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space. The only time-limited events are crossovers that last for a full five years, and there’s also no PVP, so you can play entirely at your own pace. Old characters often get new powerups (that you don’t have to gacha for) to bring their power level in line with newer characters, and, unusually for a gacha game, many of the characters you can get outside the gacha are just as useful as the gacha characters and it’s possible to beat almost every enemy with a team of free characters only.
The gacha itself has no pity system so it is hard to get a *specific* brand new character you have your heart set on, but the achievement rewards and daily login bonuses give you enough premium currency over time that you’ll get *someone* good reasonably often without having to use your credit card. On the other hand, if you are inclined to spend money and have some patience, every so often they give you the chance to pay for a “Star Dream Encounter” which lets you pick whatever character you want from a list of all but the very newest characters.
None of this would matter if the game itself wasn’t any good, but fortunately it actually is – the game’s best point is its storytelling, and when its story is good, it’s really, really good.
I just finished reading your post and man, it hit home! Gacha games really do have this crazy grip on us, right? I totally relate to how you described the thrill of pulling for characters; it’s like a mini adrenaline rush every time! Plus, your take on the balance between enjoyment and obsession is spot on.
The way you explained the psychological aspect was eye-opening too—especially how we often chase after that elusive “perfect” character, only to realize it’s not just about the game but also about what it reflects in our lives.
So here’s my question: do you think this obsession with gacha games is just a fun distraction for us, or could there be deeper reasons why so many of us are hooked? Like, are we trying to escape reality or something? I’m curious ’cause I feel there’s more beneath the surface that we kinda brush off.
I personally think at least part of the addictive quality is due to the ability for you to obtain achievements and wins that are more elusive IRL.
Gacha games seem to have the ability to tap in to our competitive drives that can be dormant in our private lives and then use social media to manipulate/encourage people to dive deeper into the game, characters, game systems, and gacha mechanic, which all ultimately encourage retention and spending money.
There is a reason gacha game developers are generally trying to pull you into their social app or discord server. Peer pressure works not just in grade school to affect behavior.
This was very relatable. I have played gacha games for over 4 years, and recently decided to have every account I have ever created deleted and done so currently pending the 30 day period I have to retract my cancellation. I have tracked spending on budgeting software I use and have spent a bit over $3,000 which is ridiculous. The time sink and opportunity cost is ever more expensive however than the money.
Gacha gaming has been a crutch, a coping mechanism to retreat to and avoid responsibilities and grasping for the easy addictive low-grade pleasure available. Similar to porn or other substitutes that don’t quite replace the real thing such as real intimacy in a relationship or accomplishing goals in the real world.
I don’t think gacha gaming is inherently evil or bad but rather akin to alcohol, not bad by itself but in the wrong hands, toxic.
https://www.reddit.com/r/GachaRecovery
Hi I just created a sub-reddit and think your article is very relevant and may help a lot of young gamers from being caught in the gacha trap. I would love to pin it there. Let me know if it’s permissible.
Thanks
Hi agewisdom, we’re good with that! Thanks for checking in with us 🙂