"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 classmates to ask 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 pool, so 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 make the characters look good and attract you, making you want to spend money voluntarily. When I think about it, it seems true. After comparing with others, most of my classmates have experience with spending money in the game, and one of them said, "I've probably spent about ten thousand yuan." "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 spending money 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, making oneself stronger. Based on my personal gaming experience, I can still get the characters I want without spending money, but it requires much more time and effort. Some people, including myself, spend money impulsively. "Sometimes I really want something, and I impulsively spend money. But later I think, spending money doesn't really mean anything." One classmate said so.
Actually, as long as you think calmly, you will know the truth that "spending money will affect the gaming experience." Games require a certain amount of time to level up and defeat monsters. If you spend money, you skip the early "development" process and simply gain a sense of achievement and pleasure by "one-shotting" enemies, which is not what I personally, or a part of people, advocate that games should give us. What we advocate in games is the joy of running in a free world, the excitement of drawing the 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. According to what my classmates were talking about, he can create a shield that won't take damage from enemies, so he can defeat any enemy. How can you defeat an enemy 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 spending money to defeat enemies?
Spending money 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 from spending money. I have experienced it, and it doesn't feel good. What did I get after spending so much money? Wendy, just a data entry in miHoYo's database that says I have that 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 spend in the game is so meaningless.
There is another saying on Zhihu, "When you open your phone, you are fighting against the operation teams of various applications. They rack their brains and put in a lot of 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." When my mother found out that I was spending money in the game, she also said to me, "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 heavily edited, written on the evening of October 17, 2022)
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