Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency has decided that a system widely adopted by online game operators on SNS websites (social networking service) violates a law on sales methods.
In the said online games called complete gacha (kompu gacha), players could win a rare virtual item or a prize after he buys a specific number of items required.
The agency started the probe on the game services following complaints of extremely high payment charges on players of SNS sites like Mobage and Gree.
This gaming system was first introduced in online games by SNS last year. Kompu gacha is an advanced level of gacha where players can get rare items after collecting a specific combination of objects available in the games.
However, the gacha games have continuously been criticized for banking on the players' gambling tendencies, especially then the specific item they will get is not known at the time of purchase, which makes it similar to a lottery.
The gacha game was supposedly inspired by vending machines that sell small toys inside capsules. But in this case, online players are buying virtual items for hundreds of yen, which they can use in the game, as opposed to physical, real ones.
Even though the games are basically free, users still have to pay for the Internet access and for items they want to have like virtual clothing or weapons in order to have more advantage in the game.
An association of 6 social game makers that include DeNA and Gree, Renraku Ky
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Black Hawk Reviews Online Games Kompu Gacha Games Deem Illegal
por Barb Madrigal (2020-05-10)
In the said online games called complete gacha (kompu gacha), players could win a rare virtual item or a prize after he buys a specific number of items required.
The agency started the probe on the game services following complaints of extremely high payment charges on players of SNS sites like Mobage and Gree.
This gaming system was first introduced in online games by SNS last year. Kompu gacha is an advanced level of gacha where players can get rare items after collecting a specific combination of objects available in the games.
However, the gacha games have continuously been criticized for banking on the players' gambling tendencies, especially then the specific item they will get is not known at the time of purchase, which makes it similar to a lottery.
The gacha game was supposedly inspired by vending machines that sell small toys inside capsules. But in this case, online players are buying virtual items for hundreds of yen, which they can use in the game, as opposed to physical, real ones.
Even though the games are basically free, users still have to pay for the Internet access and for items they want to have like virtual clothing or weapons in order to have more advantage in the game.
An association of 6 social game makers that include DeNA and Gree, Renraku Ky