Gacha games have garnered a reputation for the predatory mechanics of the lottery-based system of their microtransactions. As one of the most popular gacha games today, Genshin Impact has not been spared from criticisms relating to the nature of its Constellation system encouraging players to spend more to get duplicates. The game's micro transaction-based system has been the subject of negative fan reactions several times over the year since the game's release and a Genshin fan on Reddit recently made a helpful guide for players.
Since its launch in September of 2020, Genshin Impact has been a massive success for Chinese developer miHoYo, achieving massive popularity for its characters and gameplay akin to games like Breath of the Wild. Its heightened success has served as an introduction to micro transaction-based gacha games for many players. With Genshin Impact's massive success, Genshin Impact's gacha system has often come under fire and one fan on Reddit put together a helpful chart to teach fans about some of the game's more predatory mechanics.
The guide created by Reddit user soaringneutrality titled "Whale Hunting" details many of the ways Genshin Impact's gacha may seek to prey on players unfamiliar with gacha systems. The helpful chart shows the progression of how the game entices players into first spending with "icebreaker" options like the game's Battle Pass and Blessing of the Welkin Moon, offering players significant resources for a "good deal."
Many of the tactics detailed in the chart are common practice across several gacha games. Multiple currencies within it for players to purchase create a disparity between their perceived value and real money while higher payment options entice players with a 'better value'. The guide also details several concepts of how players are encouraged to pull and, in turn, spend by featuring sales drivers like limited-time banners and the presence of gacha pulls from content creators within platforms like YouTube and Twitch.
The month following the massive game's first anniversary has seen Genshin Impact come under fire often from fans for a variety of reasons. Beyond the predatory nature of gacha systems, Genshin's lack of end-game content outside of the Spiral Abyss and the stinginess of the game's one-year anniversary rewards have been common points of contention among players. Genshin Impact has seen massive success over the year since its release and will likely maintain its popularity into the future, so charts like these help new fans to properly understand the nature of gacha mechanics before spending money,
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and mobile devices. A Switch version is currently in development with no confirmed release date.