Gacha games are popular with mobile gamers all over the world. The term comes from Japan, but the games have spread internationally. Here’s how they work, and what makes them so addictive!

Gacha游戏在世界各地的手机游戏中都很流行。 这个词来自日本，但是游戏已经在国际上普及了。 这是他们的工作方式，以及使他们如此上瘾的原因！

As more people start gaming on their phones, the number of games looking to take up real-estate on your phone’s home screen is increasing every year. One of the fastest-growing genres is “gacha” games. Most of these come from Japan, and they all have similar monetization schemes.

随着越来越多的人开始在手机上玩游戏，希望在手机主屏幕上占据房地产的游戏数量逐年增加。 增长最快的类型之一是“ gacha”游戏。 其中大多数来自日本，并且都有类似的货币化方案。

These games are based on Japan’s “Gashapon” systems, which are vending machines that yield small capsules with a toy inside, similar to Kinder Surprise Toys. When you put a token in the machine, you’ve no way of knowing which item you’ll get. A large part of the appeal is opening the package and seeing what’s inside.

这些游戏基于日本的“ Gashapon ”系统，该系统是自动售货机，可以产生带有玩具的小胶囊，类似于Kinder Surprise Toys。 当您将令牌放入机器中时，您将无法知道将获得哪个物品。 吸引人的大部分是打开包装并查看里面的物品。

Gacha games operate similarly. You spend money to open boxes or packs, or collect items, cards, and characters. These are often from a popular manga or anime franchise. You then use them to battle other players and complete challenges. These cards and characters also typically have variations to them, such as star rankings or levels.

Gacha游戏的运作方式与此类似。 您花钱打开盒子或包装，或收集物品，卡片和字符。 这些通常来自受欢迎的漫画或动漫专营权。 然后，您可以使用它们与其他玩家进行战斗并完成挑战。 这些卡片和角色通常也具有变体，例如星级或等级。

The highest-ranking and most powerful collectibles are very rare and difficult to obtain. Getting them can involve opening thousands of boxes and many microtransactions.

等级最高，功能最强大的收藏品非常罕见，很难获得。 获取它们可能涉及打开数千个盒子和许多微交易。

Gacha games have a lot in common with collectible card games (CCGs). Like CCGs, the items you can obtain from a spin have a direct effect on the way you play. Many collectible card gamers spend vast amounts of money on perfecting their decks and getting the best kinds of cards.

Gacha游戏与可收藏纸牌游戏(CCG)有很多共同点。 与CCG一样，您可以从旋转中获得的物品直接影响您的游戏方式。 许多可收藏的纸牌游戏玩家花费大量金钱来完善自己的牌组并获得最好的纸牌。

However, unlike CCGs, for which you can purchase single rare cards from fellow collectors, there’s usually no way you can purchase individual items at all in a gacha game.

但是，与CCG不同，对于CCG，您可以从其他收藏家那里购买一张稀有卡片，而在gacha游戏中，通常根本无法购买单个物品。

The process of “spinning” is similar to opening a loot box in Western titles. However, unlike gacha games, loot boxes are often not a primary game mechanic; sometimes, they don’t affect gameplay at all. For example, in the first-person shooter, Overwatch, loot boxes only contain cosmetic items, like costumes and animations.

“旋转”的过程类似于打开西方标题中的战利品盒子。 但是，与gacha游戏不同，战利品盒通常不是主要的游戏机制。 有时，它们根本不会影响游戏玩法。 例如，在第一人称射击游戏《守望先锋》中，战利品盒仅包含化妆品，例如服装和动画。

Because this monetization scheme can apply to any type of game, the core gameplay mechanics of these titles can vary wildly. For example, Puzzles and Dragons is a matching puzzle game, while Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a turn-based role-playing game. However, both implement gacha-based mechanics when it comes to picking up powers and characters.

由于这种获利方案可以应用于任何类型的游戏，因此这些游戏的核心玩法机制可能会有很大差异。 例如，《 Puzzles and Dragons》是一款匹配的益智游戏，而《 Final Fantasy Brave Exvius》是一款基于回合的角色扮演游戏。 但是，在拾取能力和角色时，这两种方法都实现了基于gacha的机制。

Gacha games, by their very nature, are highly random and frequently prompt players to spend money. This makes them one of the most addictive kinds of microtransactions. Some in the industry have referred to them as a form of gambling without a monetary payout. The most dedicated gacha gamers can spend huge amounts of money in a short amount of time attempting to get the very best collectibles.

Gacha游戏本质上是高度随机的，经常提示玩家花钱。 这使它们成为最令人上瘾的微交易之一。 业内有些人将其称为没有金钱支付的赌博形式。 最专注的gacha游戏玩家可以在短时间内花费大量金钱来尝试获得最好的收藏品。

Another cause for concern is the lack of barriers to entry. Since most of these are mobile games, children can easily play and purchase rolls without a parent noticing. Some developers have even been accused of deliberately misrepresenting the likelihood of players getting what they want. They’ve also come under fire for designing their user interfaces (UI) to prompt players to open many consecutive capsules.

另一个令人担忧的原因是缺乏进入壁垒。 由于大多数游戏都是手机游戏，因此孩子们无需父母注意即可轻松玩游戏和购买游戏。 一些开发人员甚至被指控故意歪曲玩家获得他们想要的东西的可能性。 他们还因设计用户界面(UI)来提示玩家打开许多连续的胶囊而备受抨击。

In 2012, Japan banned the “complete gacha” system following several viral cases of minors spending thousands of dollars. Complete gacha is a monetization scheme in which a player can obtain rare items if he completes a large set of other, more common items. This encouraged huge numbers of re-rolls, as players frequently wound up rolling the same items over and over.

在2012年，日本在几起病毒性未成年人案件中花费数千美元，禁止了“完整gacha ”系统。 Complete gacha是一种货币化计划，玩家可以在完成大量其他更常见的物品后获得稀有物品。 这鼓励了大量的重新滚动，因为玩家经常会不断地重复滚动相同的物品。

In addition to Japan, other countries have implemented laws that protect players from these misleading practices. In a few European nations, games with randomized items that cost money now have to disclose the drop rates of all collectibles.

除日本外，其他国家/地区也实施了保护玩家免受这些误导性做法的法律。 在一些欧洲国家/地区，现在有随机物品花费成本的游戏必须披露所有收藏品的掉落率。

In recent years, many major media companies in Japan, like Nintendo, Square Enix, and Aniplex, have turned their franchises into gacha games in an effort to capitalize on the growing mobile gaming market. In addition to turning a profit in their own right, this is a way to keep fans of their games engaged with the brand.

近年来，日本的许多主要媒体公司(如Nintendo，Square Enix和Aniplex)已将其特许经营权转变为gacha游戏，以利用不断增长的移动游戏市场。 除了靠自己赚钱以外，这也是一种让游戏迷与品牌互动的方法。

Gacha games remain very popular, both in- and outside Japan. Many gamers have noted, though, since the implementation of the complete gacha ban in Japan, the monetization of free games has gotten less egregious.

Gacha游戏在日本国内和国外仍然很受欢迎。 但是，许多游戏玩家已经注意到，自从日本全面实行禁售游戏禁令以来，免费游戏的货币化已变得不那么令人震惊了。

翻译自: https://www.howtogeek.com/465429/what-exactly-is-a-gacha-video-game/