Before reading, check out our first and second interview of mobile game "whales" who play Fate/Grand Order.
We hope our talk with Z-san can fill in the full picture of what kind of person these "whales" are. Stay tuned for a full analysis of the three interviews.
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How do you feel about mobile game microtransactions in general? A lot of other countries like Japan and China have consumer protection laws that regulate gacha games. Is that something you're in favor of for the US?
That's a tough one. Before going into FEH and FGO, I was of the general belief that micro transactions should be something purely cosmetic/optional, and I personally refused to play games where microtransactions could provide a direct and/or significant advantage.
Obviously the latter has changed since I’m now playing two games where spending money does lead to advantages, and I suppose the most significant thing for me is realizing that there’s many games out there where microtransactions not only play a major part in the game itself, but also provide a primary source of income for the companies behind them. As such, it’s hard for me to say something strictly black and white like “I hate mobile game microtransactions” or “microtransactions are wrong and shouldn’t be included ever,” because the model itself and the act of producing a game ultimately requires the generation of profit, and we as consumers are also the ones that make a conscious choice to engage in microtransactions.
That doesn’t mean that everything should be allowed however (the less microtransactions there are, the better in my book), and towards this end I’m definitely in favor of making sure there’s at least some regulation in regards to microtransactions and how they’re done so that players are protected against potentially shady or exploitive business practices.
I’m not well-versed in the laws that’ve been passed in other countries and/or the US so some of the things I’ll mention may already be in place, but in terms of regulation, I’d say the following are just some ground rules I can think of off the top of my head that should be established or at least considered in some way:
1) All odds for microtransactions based on chance should be clearly advertised and data kept to verify and confirm that the odds are as advertised. 2) Units or items that are exclusive or limited should be expressly advertised and when they’re not limited or exclusive, should have a statement indicating they may/will be present in the future at another time. 3) Specific combinations of units/items that can only be acquired from microtransactions to unlock other units/items should not be allowed. 4) New units or items should not be added purely via microtransactions that would make another previously available unit or item completely obsolete in the sense that having the new unit/item would drastically change gameplay to the point where not having the new unit would significantly damage competitiveness within the game or against other players. 5) Microtransactions should not be required to ensure that a game’s content can be completed within a reasonable expectation of effort or timeframe. 6) Microtransactions with odds involved should have a “pity system” where failed summons or attempts should increase subsequent attempts chances at acquiring the item/unit, resetting if the player acquires an item/unit of the highest rarity (similar to how FEH does it). 7) Minimum odds ratios could also be considered to regulate the minimum chances one can put on a particular odds related transaction.
Interestingly enough, I’m not sure if we would’ve ever gotten FEH or FGO if we eliminated microtransactions/gacha systems entirely, or at least I dunno how I’d picture playing them without that mechanic, so that’s some food for thought too.
In a world without microtransactions, we probably wouldn't see any games like FEH and FGO. It's interesting to think about. How do you respond to the idea that loot box mechanics can be "predatory"? It may seem to some that vulnerable people(children, people with addiction issues) could be adversely affected by these kinds of business practices.
I'd like to think that loot boxes weren't made intentionally to be "predatory" but there are definitely situations where they end up being so regardless of what the initial intention may or may not be. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to make it so that vulnerable people never end up being affected or "exploited," it's a very difficult issue that doesn't have an easy solution because you can't exactly just tell companies to stop making games with microtransactions and some games (FEH and FGO potentially included) wouldn't even exist if they didn't have some kind of microtransaction model.
That and as much as you'd want to blame the issue on the companies themselves, there's also a growing issue in that everyone has access to a mobile phone or device from as young as elementary or middle school at this point, and they're using it not purely as a device for communication, but for playing mobile games with microtransactions (including ones they shouldn't be due to age limitations and other restrictions). Combine that with an inability for many young kids to truly understand what it means to earn money and the value of it (especially in cases like this where you can click something and you get a bunch of digital stuff), and the natural progression is reckless spending that bypasses pre-set restrictions. The problem is at that point, it's difficult to place the blame on just any one thing.
Yes, you can blame the company making the game in that could've made a non-gacha, non-microtransaction game. But you can also share some of that towards some of the parents that know of ways to limit phone usage and app downloads and don't do it, or yet enable their children to purchase these items by straight up giving them their credit cards and not paying particular attention to what they're spending on until it's too late.
As for people with addiction issues, it's a bit different because they can't control their respective urges so it's not their fault, but unfortunately, while it's easy to understand why they end up getting into games with microtransactions, it's difficult to enact safeguards for them because ones that would work for some children wouldn't have the same effect here, as an addiction could lead a person to actively seek workarounds and/or the person with the addiction may be an adult whom you can't force to not do something. In situations regarding addictions, the best solution would be to just eliminate loot box mechanics in everything to prevent any chance of people getting addicted, but you can't exactly do that, nor would people who enjoy the game regardless advocate/support something of that end of the spectrum.
Ultimately yes, I think loot box mechanics do inevitably turn out predatory, but it depends on the situation and there's no one off solution that could prevent all cases.
I would personally advocate the inclusion of settings that parents of vulnerable children or the person with addiction issues themselves could always set to limit their spending however (whether for the device itself or just the game in question), and I'd go a step forward in making it so that the restriction could be made to last a certain chosen time span and can't be cancelled once confirmed. Ideally one could even go one step further and make it so attempts to make a new account for the device or to uninstall it during that time period would result in the deletion of the original account so that it would potentially discourage some addicts who might otherwise actively seek to bypass any set restrictions.
Thanks so much for taking the time to speak to me. If you could give some advice to FEH/FGO/mobile game players,what would it be? Do you have any parting words?
Welcome! And thanks for askin'!
As for some parting advice, I'd say the most important part is to just enjoy the games as they are. There's always going to be that urge in the back of your head to spend some money when there's some unit you really want or some accomplishment you want to achieve in the game itself, but it isn't always worth it in the short term, and rarely worth it in the long term when you consider how you don't know how long the game might last, and you don't know whether or not you might need some of that money in the future.
So if you find yourself feeling the urge to spend, think about the pros and cons first, and plan things out accordingly. List out everything (on an Excel or even a random piece of paper) you have assets-wise and then subtract off the things you know you'll spend on for necessities and other odds and ends for the rest of the year, separating things out on a month to month basis so you can know later if you're spending above or less on average than you should be. Then mark out exactly how much you think you could afford to spend across the year and calculate how much that means in terms of a per month or per week basis. Look for ways to maximize your "bang for your buck" (whether by investing in a high yield savings account, looking for iTunes or Google Play card deals, or looking for a credit card with a good points program and rewards you for joining the first time) and then ask yourself if there's anything else you want that's more important.
If you can't go through the steps above or you're feeling hesitant at any point, then it's probably not worth it to spend on whatever it is you're planning to get, and that's OK. It'll be a bit of a bummer not being able to get that something you wanted in the game you were playing, but it's better than regretting it later when you've spent something that you can't get back.
No one's going to judge you for choosing not to spend, nor should they. Do what you think is right and what you won't regret, and feel good about whatever choice you choose to make!
(P.S. Learning some Excel for self-accounting purposes has other benefits too! You never know when those skills could come in handy for something else. :D)
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For further reading check out our interviews with H-san and K-san.
If you consider yourself a mobile gaming "whale" or have any other unique perspective on the gaming industry, contact us at [email protected].
