Cover photo by Cindy F on Unsplash
The Same Garbage Every Month
I’m tired. Every single month, another gacha game launches. Different IP, different characters, different aesthetic - but underneath it’s the exact same manipulative framework we’ve seen a hundred times before.
Soulless. Samey. Uninspired.
These games aren’t designed by people who love games. They’re engineered by psychologists and monetization experts whose sole purpose is to extract maximum revenue from players. The “game” part is just the wrapper - the real product is the casino hidden inside.
Let’s Call It What It Is
A gacha game is a slot machine with a story mode attached. That’s it. Strip away the anime characters, the flashy animations, the elaborate lore - and you’re left with a gambling mechanism designed to exploit human psychology.
FOMO mechanics that punish you for not logging in daily. Limited-time banners creating artificial urgency. Pity systems that sound generous until you realize they’re calibrated to maximize spending. “Premium currency” that obscures how much real money you’re actually burning.
And for what? PNG files. JPEGs of characters that will be powercrept and irrelevant within three months when the next banner drops. You’re not buying anything - you’re renting temporary dopamine hits.
The Promotion Problem
Here’s where it gets personal, and here’s where I’m going to upset some people.
When you stream these games, you’re not just playing them. You’re advertising them. When you post your pulls on social media, celebrate your “luck,” show off your new five-star character - you’re doing unpaid marketing work for companies that already make billions.
And who sees that content?
Kids who don’t understand they’re watching gambling. People with addiction issues who see your excitement and think “maybe I’ll get lucky too.” Viewers who trust your taste in games and download something designed specifically to exploit them.
Every single person who picks up a gacha game because they saw you playing it - that’s on you. Every whale who spirals into debt chasing the same luck you showed off - you contributed to that. You normalized this.
“It’s Just a Game”
I’ve heard all the defenses.
“I play free-to-play, I never spend money.” Cool - you’re still promoting the game to people who will spend money. You’re still contributing to its success metrics. You’re still part of the marketing funnel.
“The gameplay is actually fun.” Is it? Is the gameplay fun, or is the dopamine hit from pulling characters fun? Would you play a version of this game with no gacha mechanics? If the answer is no, then you don’t like the game - you like the gambling.
“People can make their own choices.” Sure. And casinos say the same thing. Lottery companies say the same thing. Every predatory industry hides behind “personal responsibility” while employing teams of experts specifically to undermine that responsibility.
Why We Keep Getting Slop
The gaming industry is creatively bankrupt, and gacha is a huge part of the reason why.
Why would a company invest years and millions into developing an innovative, complete game experience when they can reskin their existing gacha framework with new characters and rake in billions? Why take creative risks when the slot machine prints money reliably every single quarter?
We get more of this slop every week because it works. Because engagement metrics go up. Because streamers play them, audiences watch, and downloads spike. Because people with influence keep feeding the machine and then wonder why nothing original comes out anymore.
You want better games? Stop supporting worse ones. Stop playing them. Stop streaming them. Stop giving them free advertising every time you post a pull.
To My Friends Specifically
I’m writing this because I’m genuinely frustrated watching people I care about promote this garbage. You’re better than this. Your audiences deserve better than this.
I get that streaming is work, and you go where the viewers are. I get that gacha games are easy content - there’s always something new to react to, always a new banner, always drama in the community. But easy content isn’t the same as good content, and you’re sacrificing something every time you participate in this ecosystem.
You’re telling your audience that gambling for PNGs is a normal part of gaming. You’re telling companies that this business model works. You’re telling the industry that they don’t need to try harder.
I’m not asking you to crusade against gacha. I’m asking you to think about what you’re promoting and who you’re promoting it to. That’s it.
The Bottom Line
Gacha games are casinos wearing a video game costume. The entire business model depends on exploiting people - their time, their money, their psychology. And everyone who plays, promotes, or normalizes these games is complicit in that exploitation.
We can have a better gaming industry. But not while we keep rewarding the worst parts of it.
Stop promoting casinos disguised as video games.
Comments