Monday 22 July 2019

Gatcha gaming/FIRE/Social Politics


Gatcha gaming on mobile phones has gained popularity outside of Japan.

Before we go on, let's call a spade a spade - its gambling without the windfall, pure and simple.

Yet, how can it be gambling when there's no winnings?

And why do people fork out real cash in exchange for something that's not even tangible in their possession? 

In traditional PC games, at least you get a CD-ROM or have downloaded the game onto your very own C-drive. 

But for mobile gatcha games, everything you "owned" is stored in a server in the cloud. When the game dies and the server is shutdown... Remember the 99-year leasehold thing? 

Poof!



I'm currently playing a Korean gatcha game.

The community on reddit is quite interesting; full of hype and drama. There's virtually no difference between the FIRE seekers in our backyard and the crybabies/whiners we find on most social/political platforms. 

I guess people are people everywhere.



Gatcha games are usually "free" to play.

I belong to the vast majority of free-to-play "FTP" gamers out there. 

Then there are the "dolphines". They usually spend up to a few hundred dollars a month on the game.

And for the minority of "whales", they can easily spend thousands every month without blinking or breaking into sweat. They are also known as pay-to-win "PTW" players. 



In subsequent posts, I'll share my parodies on these 3 groups of people in our FIRE and wider social community at large.

However, there's another important person I've not mentioned - the puppet master or dungeon master. The one who plays and manipulates the 3 groups against each other. 

You'll have to infer his role as I'm not stupid enough to go poke him directly!

Duh!











17 comments:

  1. Hi SMOL,

    Who is our dungeon master? Derek?

    I thought one of the categories would be purists, lol. Noticed one blogger had a change in tone after the influx of new bloggers lately. Entirely human response.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unintelligent Nerd,

      Derek is our patron saint ;)

      Although I've not posted anything in his aggreator blog for sometime now...

      Come to think of it, when was the last time I blogged about financial topics seriously!?

      LOL!


      I'm telling my satire from a wider social/political perspective - more akin to the landowner, shepherd, and sheep analogy :)

      Shhh... Cannot mention the person who shall not be named...



      Delete
    2. Sound like Dark Lord. Cant mention his name!

      Delete
    3. CW,

      Although I like to fish for free coffee from you guys, if the person who shall not be named jio me to "lim kopi", I'll sweat bullets...

      Delete
  2. It is like 2006/2007 in blogging world again

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CW,

      Its similar to the landscape during 2000 too ;)

      All the laggards and johnny-come-lately start appearing out of the woodwork...

      Live long enough, we start to see cycles everywhere!

      LOL!


      Delete
  3. Smol,Games...

    Why gambling and not just vanity consumerism? Pay to top the league is like having a Hermes to show everyone I am top of the league.

    I remember paying quite furiously, but definitely not dolphins by your definition.

    It was one of the games where I am early adopters and I am ready to be rank ( not top the table)

    Now, I know myself too well. I still have the urge to just spend a few dollars to show support of a good game, but I resist the urge a lot now.

    I cannot tell if I am just supporting the game or I just want to level up fast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sillyinvestor,

      I said and highlighted GATCHA games - that's gambling in essence as the act of summoning for rare and powerful game characters is like pulling the jackpot fruit machine or buying Toto ;)


      LOL! OK, you're a "guppy" - Tens of dollars a month.

      The dungeon master smart. Offer these "cheap" packs to entice FTP cheapos to take the first step.

      What's a few dollars here and there? Support the developer mah!

      Once you have nibbled, you no longer can call yourself FTP (virgin).


      Its like the sales funnel trickery used my those marketing investing/trading courses.

      Start with FREE PREVIEWS.

      Then offer "value for money" workshops.

      Follow-up with marketing of obscencely priced advanced/ultimate/end of days "MASTER" classes to those captive students who paid for "value of money" classes... LOL!


      Same goes for the promises made by Communists. Free land, free this, free that. See? The country "belongs" to the PEOPLE!

      Yet before most communist countries capitulated and opened up to capitalism, their captive citizens have to brave barb wires and landmines just to escape from "utopia"...

      Free can be most expensive!


      Eh, when I buy chicken rice or Xiaomi phone, I don't say I "support" the hawker or the Xiaomi founder. Do you?

      I buy games; I don't support games.


      Opps! I FTP... I don't buy or nibble.

      I freeloader!

      LOL!



      Delete
    2. Best is those on monthly or yearly subscription, recurring revenue or income. Shiok to the balance sheet and dividend income for trainers without market risks

      Delete
    3. Hi SMOL, how does the dungeon master manipulate the three groups against each other? I thought that usually the FTP and dolphins won't be so "stupid" as to go fight with the whales.

      Yeah, agree with Uncle8888. Those that offer subscriptions are the "best". They win liao lor.

      Delete
    4. CW,

      Now that's "passive" income or what?


      Its the same business model used by religions, political rulers, crime syndicates, etc...

      Whether its called tithe, tax, or protection money, a rose by any other name is still a rose ;)



      Delete
    5. Rainbowgirl,

      I don't think you've played a gatcha game ;)


      Let's use another analogy.

      I like to talk about sex, religion, and politics. Hmm... Since you're a girl, I'll use religion as a "safe" choice!

      In any religion, the majority would be freeloaders as in they don't tithe ever. Shh...

      Then there are dolphins who would donate what's comfortable for them without prompting.

      A very small minority of the faithful would be whales who have no qualms donating hundreds of thousands, even millions in cash or land to the religion.

      Next time you go to any place of worship, observe.

      Without the freeloaders and dolphins, would the dungeon master be able to attract the whales?




      Delete
    6. Hi SMOL,

      Ah I see the picture now, haha... The dungeon master is darn pro at creating 'hype' so as to bait the high net-worth whales.

      I have no talent nor patience for Gatcha games. However, I find most online games of whichever genre are all same same. Their main objective is to get the whales and dolphins to continue paying and 'up' their games.

      Delete
    7. Rainbowgirl,

      Yup, you got it!

      Why would whales pay-to-win when the game has only a few hundred players? Very niche and unknown to the masses?

      But if the game is the "in" game for the year for millions of players globally...


      Be it sex, religion, or politics, I often mind-fxxk myself by looking up to see who is pulling the strings above me?

      Am I doing this because I want to?

      Or have I been manipulated to think what I think by the puppet master above?


      Now US is getting paranoid with Facebook and Google. Can influence voting during elections? Power or what?



      Delete
    8. Yeah, they are power idea-spreading sources. Insta, Twitter too?

      Delete
    9. It's somewhat the "I want to be a winner" ego that makes the whales splash. I am ikan billy, so won't give a damn.

      Delete
    10. Rainbowcoin,

      Now we have a US president that sends out policies by twitter; not fun when our trading positions get stopped-out due to ensuing volatility :(


      Marketing is all about understanding human psychology and knowing what buttons to press.

      Be it "selling" a religion, govt policy, or ourselves as potential marriage/love partners.

      You think why men buy fancy cars and women wear uncomfortable 3 inch heels?


      Delete

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