"Genshin Impact" was already very popular when I was in the third year of junior high school. During online classes, I saw a fan-made MV of "Genshin Impact" and there was a character that looked very nice, so I took a screenshot and sent it to my classmate, asking for the name of this character. "Wendy." That's the name of the character with braided hair and wearing green. This Wendy has an increased probability in the gacha, and I spent money to get Wendy.
I heard that miHoYo, the company behind the game, won't just take your money like some other companies, they will just make the characters look better and more attractive, making you want to recharge spontaneously. I think it's true. Comparing it with other games, most of my classmates have experience with recharging, and one of them said, "I've probably spent about ten thousand." "Genshin Impact" probably has such substantial revenue because of this.
There is a saying on Zhihu, "You can experience about 80%+ of the game without recharging in Genshin Impact." So why spend money? Based on what I have asked and speculated, it's probably because some characters are rare and using them makes the game easier and makes you stronger. In my personal gaming experience, I can still get the characters I want without recharging, but it just takes a lot more time and effort. Some people, including myself, recharge impulsively. "Sometimes I really want something, and I recharge impulsively. But later I think, recharging doesn't really mean anything." One classmate said so.
Actually, as long as you think calmly, you will know the truth that "recharging will affect the gaming experience." Games require a certain amount of time to level up and defeat monsters. If you recharge, you skip the early "development" process and simply gain a sense of achievement and pleasure by "one-shotting" monsters. This is not what I personally advocate, nor is it what some people think games should give us. What we advocate in games is the joy of running in a free world, the excitement of drawing characters we like through our own efforts, and the sense of achievement after defeating a boss, not the so-called "pleasure." In "Genshin Impact," there is a character named Zhongli. I heard classmates talking about how he can create a shield that won't take damage from monsters, so he can defeat any monster. How can you defeat a monster without taking damage? Isn't this equivalent to having a "cheat code" and becoming invincible?
Some people say that the most important thing in playing games is to have fun. So, which one brings you more happiness: the sense of achievement after completing a challenge through hard work, or the "pleasure" of simply recharging and one-shotting monsters?
Recharging not only has a negative impact on the gaming experience and balance, but it also creates a sense of emptiness in your wallet and even the pressure of debt. I have experienced it, and it's not pleasant. What did I get after spending so much money? Wendy, just a piece of data in miHoYo's database that says I have this character. We have discussed among classmates that "if King of Glory shuts down, you can't get your money back." If you think about it this way, the money we recharge in the game is so meaningless.
There is another saying on Zhihu, "When you open your phone, you are fighting against the operation team of various applications. They rack their brains and spare no effort to design activities, content, and benefits to attract you." There is a saying in the internet industry, "If an internet product is free, then you are the product's profit point." My mother also said to me after discovering that I recharge, "You think you are playing the game, but in fact, the game is playing you."
"Because you like this character, you have to spend money to own them." What is this? Moral coercion?
(This article has been edited and written on the evening of October 17, 2022)
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