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The gachapon genre has a history that predates video games well. The concept comes from vending machines that dispense small capsules containing collectible toys, and the name is derived from the sound the whole process makes. It has always been linked in some way to a blind box similar to a game of chance or a lottery system, as customers cannot control what they receive from the machines. But there is always a chance to get an item that is worth much more than what you paid for due to the rarity on the collector’s market. In that way, the video game experience can mimic traditional gaming, and it has been incredibly lucrative for companies that don’t mind sacrificing the game to take advantage of people with weaker impulse control.
Genshin Impact makes use of those same mechanics and, as a free game, has already recouped its development cost to date, raising more than $ 100 million. However, not once in my 30+ hours of playing time have I felt at a disadvantage for not spending money.
Although microtransactions are considered commonplace today, especially in the mobile market, I exceptionally rarely buy those savings. Games that reward you for spending real money or sell you the virtual equivalent of pulling a slot machine are not my cup of tea. Instead, I’ve championed titles that make microtransactions purely cosmetic, even if they make them more difficult to obtain via loot boxes. I learned to live with them in many of my favorite games as long as they manage to stay out of the way of the game.
Gacha games mix the money element with the game’s core progression, which is a massive red flag as described. Fire Emblem Heroes for example, is the mobile cleavage of Fire emblem series, one of my favorite turn-based tactics games. Units that you normally add to your party through story progress are “summoned” using in-game currency that you collect through daily logins, completing missions, or paying real money to obtain them. While the game is a simplified version of the series, I found it fun, but was unable to meaningfully complete some missions without stronger units that were controlled by the gacha system. Yes, there are free ways to power up any drive you have, but they are usually time consuming and difficult to use.
Trading time for money is the crux of the free games market and a compromise that has been increasingly accepted. Genshin Impact bet on that trend with the most elegant solution imaginable: it’s more game than gacha. Yes Genshin Impact removed all its live and gacha service items but didn’t change anything else about its gameplay, it would still work as a beautiful anime and Breath of the wild– Action RPG inspired. It would still host hundreds of hours of content, and most of all, it would still be insanely fun.
In many other gacha games, progress is usually tied to characters or items, both of which have different levels of rarity that translate to their usefulness. In-game currency can be earned and spent on opportunities to obtain the characters or items you want or need to progress, but the ones you don’t need become junk or resources that you can gather for some other purpose. Real money can be spent to buy in-game currency in larger amounts, giving you more opportunities and pushing those with addictive tendencies to spend until they get what they want, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs.
That danger exists in Genshin Impact. The allure of cool new characters and weapons, regardless of your need to complete the game, may be enough to trigger that gambling-like behavior. For some people, there is no perfect version of a gacha game. However, to me, this system has felt more like a booster pack helping me to level up the characters on my roster along with their weapons. Every now and then I’m pleasantly surprised by a new addition thanks to pity runs of 4 stars or more guaranteed for every 10th attempt. But those nine previous scrolls are far from useless.
Everything you find in the world and extract from “desires” – Genshin ImpactIt is the equivalent of “invocation”: it can be inserted into the elements that you are using to turn them on. Duplicates of the same item can increase a specific stat for him directly, and duplicate characters become an extra rare skill point that he can use to unlock additional special abilities for that character. Even if after getting a character you don’t like, you can use it to complete expedition missions that farm materials for you. It’s basically about sending boring characters to the mines, and while it may not solve the feeling of disappointment you get from a bad “wish,” it’s a way to make them useful. That gives me the impression that myHoYo is being very considerate of the player.
It’s that consideration of the player experience that makes me want to put money into the gacha system or the battle pass. Not because I’m desperate to add Venti to my party, which I am, but because it feels fair. I’ve been enjoying every second of my time in Genshin Impactworld. It’s an experience that I might not have wanted to try if I had to pay full retail price based solely on perception and description.
That would have been my loss because it’s absolutely $ 60, but it’s free and it never forces you to spend anything to get the main experience of its game loop. A free game that treats monetization as secondary to your gaming experience is risky, but will become a massive hit as a result is something I hope other industry studies will pay attention to. The goodwill of a satisfied customer can and should be the goal, not outperforming your players.
