What exactly does “gacha” mean?
Gacha is a game mechanic that involves players spending in-game currency or real money to receive random virtual items. The term originates from the Japanese word gachapon, which refers to vending machines that dispense capsule toys1. But what exactly is a whale in the context of gacha gaming? A gacha whale is a player who spends large sums of money on games featuring a gacha system. This system is akin to a virtual lottery or a blind box, where players purchase an item without knowing exactly what they will receive.
Is gacha Chinese or Japanese?
If you’ve played any gacha games recently, you may have noticed that many gacha games pretend to be japanese, or use a lot of japanese aesthetics or even voice-acting, when the games themselves are directed, produced, and published in/by chinese and korean companies. The reasons for gacha-gacha’s popularity in japan lie in the thrill of surprise, the joy of collecting, its affordable price, a wide variety of lineups, and its compatibility with japan’s consumer culture.As previously mentioned, the Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency declared the Complete Gacha system to be illegal in 2012 (Gregorian calendar year). Until then, the Complete Gacha system had been adopted in many games.The reasons for Gacha-Gacha’s popularity in Japan lie in the thrill of surprise, the joy of collecting, its affordable price, a wide variety of lineups, and its compatibility with Japan’s consumer culture.It has been debated what makes gacha so addictive to so many players. Proposed mechanisms include playing on the hunter-gatherer instinct to collect items, as well as the desire to complete a set, effective use of the fear of missing out, or, simply the same mechanisms that drive gambling.