Random Number Generator, Microtransaction, and You.
This could be my first writing about microtransaction (or I will call it “Gacha” in Japanese term) world and hoping that many understand my view.
Who am I?
My name is Emiri, a college student that have spent many years, spent a lot of money on the mobile game with RNG as its core, and yes, I’m a whaler.
Whaler, a person that spent a lot of money into their game, sometimes without control to get an item/character they desire.
First of all, I’m not a full-time whaler, but I will call my self a “semi-whaler”, why is that? It’s simple, I think before buying the stuff. The mindset that I give to myself like “Will I play this for a long time or Is it worth in the long run, etc”
The game that I still play until today
Granblue Fantasy, an RPG that focuses on mix-matching the equipment to make your party stronger, not by having a certain character like many mobile games, and have a high time spend to become strong quicker.
Princess Connect Re:Dive, a chess-like game that oriented for the casual gamer, it doesn’t need a lot of time spending thanks to its feature called “Skip Ticket” that allows you to grind faster than ever.
Azur Lane English, a moefication ship from the World War era, a game that like Kantai Collection (KanColle), where you collect-create-synergize a fleet and you have the control than KanColle, where the battle is purely by RNG.
Enough of me and games. Let’s get into it, shall we?
What is a Random Number Generator?
Random Number Generator (or so we call it RNG), a sequence of number generated by a machine that can’t be predicted. The one thing that makes microtransaction keep going and going and what makes people frustrated and keep pushing the microtransaction button until they get the item they want.
What is Microtransaction?
A business model to support “free-to-play” games to pay either, server or employee or anything. Also, hold responsibility that keeps the free-to-play games alive and keeps expanding. The price is not much but when you calculate it per month it could be more than you think.
So, where’s the problem lies?
1. The game itself — if we heard from the news/podcast usually they bring the big company to the spotlight because the game that they produced is not a free-to-play game, they charge us in the front and keep an option to let them charge us in the form of micro trans. That’s a bad news.
2. The drop rate of the item — in Japanese mobile game they always show the drop rate of the item, as small as 0.011% per item or 3% per draw pool (taken from Granblue Fantasy’s SSR draw pool and item), it feels like they already warned you, sometimes in the middle and the end of the month the rate doubled (Granblue Fantasy) and other game when there’s a new event/re-run event occurs, they double the rate for some specific items.
3. No Limiter — the stopping line that force you to stop spending money on the game as seen on lots of Japanese mobile game where they will ask you birth year and month to limit your spending until you are old enough that you could think clearly before doing it.
4. Indirect Item — the item you want always based on chances and that what makes people mad, unlike MMORPG microtransaction where you pay the item, you get the item, not by spending much on the draws/rools/loot boxes, you get it.
and You?
In here, I want you all to accept that loot box/microtransaction will be there and many will keep spending on it, even whale. But remember, understand your spending and just enjoy the game and also, when you don’t get the item you want, that doesn’t mean you can’t get it in the future, right? Don’t let the game controls you, you are the one who should control the game and games are supposed to be enjoyed. not paid until your wallet dry. Good luck have fun guys!
Thank you for reading until the end -Emiri