I’ve always wondered - what is the difference between a gacha game and ANY game with microtransactions? What is it that puts gacha games in a class by themselves?

[–] mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I believe the difference is that gacha introduces an element of chance, so you spend an in game currency to buy a spin of a wheel where you may get different rewards. Microtransactions could be something like "spend $5 and get this new skin", it's a guarantee. Gacha will be like "spend $1 for a 10% chance at this legendary skin, spend $5 for a 70% chance, etc etc"

[–] Katana314@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So in a lot of ways, it’s just the Asian term for loot box games, something that western games shied away from a bit after the Battlefront 2 controversy and EU attention, which Disney got embroiled in.

[–] Phoenix3875@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yes. It's from the coin machine that sells a random toy in capsule. Gacha is the clicking sound that machine makes when you turn the button to get a capsule.

[–] SgtAStrawberry@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Generally but not always.

Microtransactions = I want the blue shirt, I can buy the blue shirt. The blue shirt can be cosmetic or have power boost.

Loot boxes = I want the blue shirt, I can buy a lottery ticket to maybe get the blue shirt. The blue shirt is just cosmetic. Maybe there is a way to get the blue shirt if I don't get one in X boxes.

Gacha = I want the blue shirt, I can buy a lottery ticket to maybe get the blue shirt. The blue shirt has power boosts. Quite often, if I don't get the blue shirt in a X tickets, I get a guaranteed blue shirt. Also a bit more often the blue shirt needs to be leveled up, using more blue shirts and/or other stuff you get from the lottery.

This is generally how it works, they are exceptions too it of course.

But that is why gacha is its own category, the lottery is required to progress the game and you need a lot of it. There is also usually multiple lotteries with different and the same prices at different % some you can play without spending money, some you need to spend money and some you can play onec in a while without spending money, but the good stuff and higher % are basically always looked in the two latter ones.

The way it is usually used and how upgrading stuff works, is very different between what country makes the game. I don't remember exactly but the three big different ones are, Japan, China and South Korea.

The easiest different to simply explain is usually if you need more blue shirt to upgrade or if you just need more shirts or if you need shirt coins that drop from the game to level up, the shirt or if the shirt can't be leveld up and you need a new shirt instead.

[–] Ushmel@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This sounds like every terrible mobile game I've ever played. Are gachas similar to tap tap games on mobile?

[–] SgtAStrawberry@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Now I have never heard the term tap tap game, so I might be thinking about different typs of games, but I think of those where you for example run forward and tap/swipe to dodging obstacles and when you fail you are prompted to buy powered ups/extra lives to continue and you buy tickets to get skins.

Aren't those buy power ups and know what you get and lottery for cosmetics? Making it loot boxes and microtransactions.

Or am I misunderstanding what typ of games you mean? Perfectly possible as I haven't heard the term, and I don't play those games for long enough or often enough to remember any names.

[–] Ushmel@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Close but not quite those games. Farmville is kind of like a tap tap game. Or Simpsons Tap Out. The tapping refers to the need to harvest resources by tapping on things in game.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons:_Tapped_Out