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Streamers, YouTubers and TikTokers have raved about the Chinese RPG Genshin Impact as if it were a magical top hat unwinding an endless string of content. On the surface, it’s an excellent game, a free anime Breath of the wild, featuring charismatic characters and crowd-pleasing world builders. In less than two weeks after its release in late September, it grossed more than $ 100 million and took the title of the most popular Chinese release in the West. It was the number one mobile game by consumer spending globally in October, according to app analytics company App Annie.
A recent TikTok video could explain that success. A group of seven men shouting as illuminated soccer spectators huddle around a Genshin Impact player on your PC. Your mouse hovers over the in-game “Wish” button, which turns in-game currency into opportunities to receive rare items and playable waifus or husbands. With one click, redeem 10 wishes. As his roommates cheer him on with shouts of “content, content, content”, 10 glowing streamers appear in the sky, each representing a random reward. One is orange, a rare item. That’s when the screaming starts. He has Venti. There was less than one percent chance.
In an interview with WITH CABLE, Genshin Impact Developer MiHoYo attributed its good luck to its free model and its presence on PC, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS. Players and critics think that’s naive. As one of the most popular gacha games in the United States, Genshin Impact is forcing players to deal with a gameplay mechanic long described as “predatory.”
“Gacha” is a term traditionally reserved for “tossing” or “spinning for” characters or items in (often free) mobile games from China, Japan, and South Korea. A version of the mechanic has been around in Western games for over a decade in the form of random rewards or weapon skins in first-person shooter games. In SupervisionFor example, you can buy in-game currency, redeemable for loot boxes, which can contain character skins or player icons. And the top-grossing apps like Marvel Contest of Champions Similarly, invite players to spend real money on chances of getting better characters.
Genshin Impact It costs nothing to play, and even without spending cash on wishes, players can enjoy the bucolic scenery and fantasy storylines. But it’s hard not to get FOMO when the correlation between money and fun is so obvious, especially when popular Twitch streamers and YouTubers have turned it into a sport. And while players can earn free wishes by hitting certain benchmarks, to earn and maximize all 23 characters or experience the full game, they have to open their wallets.
There is no exact conversion, but wishes generally cost players a few dollars between them than they win by playing. You’re guaranteed a five-star item or character for every 90 wishes, but otherwise, it seems like 6% of the time. One Redditor said he spent $ 2,400 to maximize Venti. Last week, YouTuber Mtashed quit the game after losing $ 5,440.
“I refuse to promote the gacha system further in this game,” he says in a recent video. “There are very addictive practices in this game. I’m sorry if I ever tricked you into lusting after yourself. ”She is on the verge of tears.
Mtashed has made thousands of dollars from his videos and can cancel Genshin Impact wishes about your taxes. For its fans, the only advantage is to unlock more the game. They could end up with big financial regrets. Twitch streamer Lacari recently shared the same sentiment when asked by a viewer how he could have spent so much in such a short time. “If you have spent more than a thousand dollars on this game and you are not broadcasting it, I suggest you do not spend more,” he said. “And it is not content at all. They are actually ripping you off. “
