During the Covid-19 pandemic when quarantine had been mandatory for months on end, the world began to find new hobbies, take up new projects and of course, turned to the internet for some respite from their incessant boredom. And then, in 2020, gacha games began to rise in popularity with the release of Genshin Impact. For the many stuck at home, this open-world, action RPG brought with it the promise of entertainment in a dull space.
The name ‘gacha’ comes from the word ‘gachapon’, a popular toy vending machine in Japan where kids would insert coins into it and randomly receive toys coming in a capsule. Kids would aim to obtain all available toys from the series and use most of their pocket money on it. This system was then adapted into video games which soon became the highest grossing form of mobile games in the country. Gacha games all follow a few common features including a linear storyline, several plot relevant characters and, of course, the gacha system in which players have to use premium game currency to “roll/pull” for the character they want.
“Gacha games follow the same system as the popular gachapon which is an adorable little machine that spits out surprise collectibles and honestly, I see gacha games in the same way. I ‘collect’ my characters and build them which is so much fun for me,” says Mysticka Deniz, a computer application student from Panjim.
Hoyoverse (previously known as Mihoyo) started the development of Genshin Impact back in 2017 and released it during a peak period of time. The game’s open world mechanism has often been compared to ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ by PC gamers and the character designs draw inspiration from Japanese anime. The game quickly gained traction, having been released during the pandemic when people had the time to immerse themselves into a complex story and exploration in a virtual open world.
“I play it because I love to explore through flying, swimming and running virtually. As a casual player, the gacha system doesn’t affect me and I just play for fun. I’ve been saving for only one character and that keeps me in check,” remarks Elizabeth Martins, a Porvorim-based 23 year-old medical student.
Genshin Impact has currently released several playable regions based off real-world regions such as Germany, China, Japan and, with the region release of Sumeru, borrows elements from Persia, Egypt, India and the Middle East combined.
A software developer, Jonelle Da Cunha from Mapusa says, “I’ve been playing for almost a year now and started after reading bits of the story and because of friends. The beautiful scenery and characters designs attracted me. The gacha system does make it hard to get the characters you want and can be disheartening for F2P (free to play) but it is possible to get the characters you want without spending if you save for them.”
The game has many attractions to it, mainly consisting of exploration, the story and the characters that feature in them. It releases trailers prior to any new game update to keep the attention of their consumers, including character demos that display the playstyle of each new addition, endorsing the gacha system.
Genshin Impact is well known in the gaming industry as it can be played on both PC and mobile which increase its player base. Despite the PG entertainment it provides, the game’s main target audience is actually the working adult.
Like any gacha game, Genshin Impact follows a pity system in which you are guaranteed a limited character after a certain number of pulls. These characters are also accompanied by their signature weapon which has to be pulled for on a separate banner. In addition to this, both the character and the weapon have bonuses that can be obtained by pulling for their copies.
“From my experience, I feel gacha games are kind of like a front for spending hard earned cash. While you do get a lot of events that provide premium currency in-game, it’s still quite limited so players ended down that rabbit hole of P2P. Genshin follows the system of the guaranteed and 50/50 pulls. Once you understand that, it’s easy to manipulate. But the uncertainty is what drives that excitement factor.” says James Baptist Lobo, a 24 year-old entrepreneur from Porvorim.
The gacha system encourages people to spend money on the game to further their gaming experience. Though it is hypothetically unnecessary to spend money as premium currency is available through various game play mechanics, most players will find themselves in a moment of weakness at least once or twice during the gacha game experience. Due to this, Genshin Impact turned Hoyoverse into a billion dollar company within a mere two years of its release.
The gacha system is often scorned by both non-players and players due to its resemblance to gambling. The thrill of receiving a limited character earlier than expected appeals to the average player and the continuous release of new characters with attractive new designs and abilities entice those who are no longer interested in characters they’ve previously obtained. Some players have invested as much as a whopping $50,000 as a direct result. High spenders are often seen in gacha games, earning them a specific title known as “whale”, therefore the game has two known types of players known as F2P (free to play) or P2P (pay to play).
Tresnor Menezes, a 24 year-old project manager from St Estevam says, “I played Genshin for over two years every single day. The gacha roll rate is harsh and you need extremely good luck to enjoy it. Over the last few months, content has slowed and a lot of players have stopped playing because of the grind. I’m one of them.”
Ultimately, the point of a game is for the player to have fun. Everything in moderation is the take away. “Gacha games are a fun way to spend 15-20 minutes everyday but it does create a FOMO factor where if you don’t log in everyday, you’d miss out on in game currency which helps you get units you desire. Staying F2P for these games is the best way to play them!” advises 24 year-old Samuel Furtado, a project manager based in Porvorim.