Genshin Impact Thoughts II - Genshin Impact as a Gacha Game

This is the second in a series of five write ups I produced, detailing my thoughts and experiences with Genshin Impact. In this part, I focus on the controversial gacha mechanics of Genshin Impact. I go into their pros and cons, and how Genshin has changed my perception of them.

The biggest downside to Genshin Impact, and arguably the topic that has garnered the most discussion, is its predatory gacha mechanics. For those unaware, the name is a reference to gacha machines in Japan, think gumball or toy machines, in which you put a quarter in and receive a random toy or candy. What you get is random, but you will get something. These mechanics have become massive in mobile games, and Genshin Impact is no exception.

The gacha machines the mechanics draw inspiration from

In Genshin Impact, as you progress through its story and side quests, you will gain access to a small amount of characters. There is yourself, the main character, three starting characters you will gain throughout the game’s introduction, two more you can receive from side quests later in the game, and finally, one more you will receive when making a wish. All these characters are ranked as good, as characters with a 4 star ranking. Progressing through the game’s story will also allow you to acquire many weapons, most of which are of a 3 star ranking, but a few of which are 4 star. If however you want access to more 4 star characters and weapons, and even a character or weapon of a 5 star quality, then the only way to get them is to wish, or….to gamble with an in-game currency.

The interesting thing about these additional more powerful characters and weapons is that they are not necessary. Genshin Impact certainly has difficulty, but all of its main content can be cleared with the starting characters and weapons. Yes there will be some side content and endgame content that players would struggle with if they only use the starting roster, but overall, Genshin Impact isn’t the hardest game.

Despite this, the game is constantly adding new characters and weapons, and provides periods in which certain characters are more likely to be obtained if you wish, and they are all designed to encourage you to gamble constantly. It’s predatory, and is not good. The game has already made over a billion dollars in revenue, and there’s a reason for that. These predatory mechanics are really good at making the player want to spend money to roll and get the character or weapon they want, no matter how many rolls it takes.

This system definitely needs improvement. But here’s the thing, Genshin Impact has made me less...cynical towards these gacha mechanics. Before playing it I viewed them as very bad, evil, and having no benefits at all. Now however….while it is still problematic, I have grown to see some silver linings to the system.

First among them was learning that gacha games in general are viewed much more negatively in North America and Europe than they are in East and Southeast Asia. I don’t know exactly why this is, but I have theories. My big one is that North America and Europe already have an established console market, which still largely dominates their video game industries. They work under a system in which players pay a one time fee upfront, and then gain access to the whole game. The gacha system, in which a player gains access to a game for free, but then will be encouraged to spend money to fully experiment and enjoy the game’s mechanics and characters, works differently. I think because of this, many traditional console players are predisposed to be skeptical of it. I myself am guilty of this.

But here’s the thing about the far east. One of the most interesting things I’ve kept up with in video game industry news is China. China is the big new emerging market in video games, they are making a ton of games, and have access to a ton of video game players, all with a different way of doing things. I have always wondered how their entrance into the global video game market would change things. The biggest notable difference between China and the rest of the video game world is that China does not have a large dominant console industry. China’s video game industry rose to mainstream popularity after smartphones and mobile games became huge. So unlike in North America and Europe, where mobile games arrived into a market already largely controlled by console and PC games, China’s video game market is much more focused towards mobile and PC games. This is also true of Southeast Asia, and Japan’s market is also moving in this direction.

I wondered how this would affect what kind of video games they create, and Genshin Impact, to me, is the first clear result of that. It is the new kind of video game we can expect from countries like China, with a video game industry that functions differently to ours. The emphasis on mobile and PC games meant a big game like Genshin Impact needed to be playable on both phones and the computer, but also meant that it had to follow a familiar monetary policy. Gacha mechanics are more heavily regulated and monitored in China than in other countries, so the mechanics have become more accepted by the general gaming public. This is also true of the countries in East and Southeast Asia: Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, etc.

So putting my internal biases from growing up in a largely console video game industry aside, I can see some perks to the gacha system. The most notable is that it means a game is free, so anyone can play it. This makes Genshin Impact one of the most accessible, if not the most accessible Tripe A game out there, and the fact that a game with its budget can be played without any initial cost is just fantastic. It lets those with less money try the game out, and more than that it helps to build a sense of community. One of my fondest memories with Genshin Impact was when I first started playing it. I went to work to ask some co workers if they had heard of it, only to be surprised and discover that literally every single one of my co workers (six of them) were playing it. I overheard workers I normally don’t converse with talking about it, and used it as a way to meet some new people. It was insane how many people were playing the game during its first month of release, it felt like the Pokemon Go phenomenon of 2016 all over again. Such a scope could only be achieved with a system that makes a game incredibly accessible, one that requires no down payment to try.

This pass gets you the most value per dollar, and is where most of the money I've spent has gone

Another positive the system has is that it gives the player more control over how much money they want to spend on the game. Rather than having to spend 60 or 80 dollars on a game and hope you enjoy it, you can play Genshin Impact for free, see how you like it, and if you end up liking it a lot, can spend as much money as you’re comfortable with. I’ve been playing the game for about six months. I didn’t spend any money on it during the first month, and have now spent 63 Canadian dollars on the game (45 US dollars). That’s still not as much as I’d spend on a full priced console game at launch, and I like that I can spend as much as I’m comfortable with and still get much enjoyment from the game.

Of course, the system is still far too predatory and needs more ways for players to regulate their spending. Gacha games should display how much money you’ve spent in total for example, as well as having something similar to data limits on phones, in which players can set a certain amount of money to be spent each month or week, and let the game warn or stop them when it gets too high. There is still much room for these games to become more morally acceptable.

However, Genshin Impact’s gacha system also shows how these games have come far from their first days. Genshin Impact has a pity system in which, if a player rolls enough times and does not get a 5 star character or weapon, they are guaranteed one. This is also true for 4 star characters and weapons. This did not exist at all in the first gacha games, and was put in from popular demand. Genshin Impact also displays the rates for every roll you make, what your odds are of rolling a 4 or 5 star item, and how long it will take you to be guaranteed one. This did not exist in former gacha games, and has come from the increased scrutiny and regulation of them. The game also gives you a constant stream of the in game currency needed to gamble, so if you’re willing to put a lot of time into the game, you can do a lot of wishing for free. It’s just that if you choose to spend money, you can get a lot more of this currency.

So while Genshin Impact still shows the problems and dangers of such predatory mechanics, and I would strongly discourage anyone with gambling problems from playing it, it has also helped me to see how gacha mechanics can have some...perks. If they continue to be regulated and continue to have systems that help players to monitor their spending better, then maybe having more games like this won’t be so bad.

That's it for part two. With the gacha discussion out of the way, the rest will focus on the game itself. Stay tuned!