Gacha games should be required to be categorized as "Gacha" games

[Jairoe03]

This stems from the store front for the game Sword of Convallaria.

It's deceptive and does it's best to mask the idea that it's a Gacha game by making it look like as much of a normal JRPG tactics game as possible. This is reflects by their steam forum which shows many people making threads on how they were tricked into considering this game only to find out much later it's a Gacha game.

I'm not anti Gacha but I know this isn't my type of game having tried a few in the past. A category that either reflects what is and isn't a Gacha game upfront would be great for both Steam customers and the Gacha game company themselves. They don't need to be wasting time of people that aren't into their game genre.

Sword of Convallaria's store front can at worst be viewed as predatory and at best be a complete accident but regardless it's overall misleading and should not be allowed IMO.

[Start_Running]

Does the game require you to spend money to spin the wheel?

[Jairoe03]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Does the game require you to spend money to spin the wheel?

Honestly, I was looking for info on the devs themselves to know more about them and tripped up on their game's website: https://soc.xd.com/#/

Pre-register section has all symptoms of a gacha. This prompted me to go on their Steam forum to see what people are saying and many complain about being tricked into thinking that it appeared to be a regular tactics JRPG (like myself) at a glance but discovered it was a gacha elsewhere as well.

Also, the company themselves don't have a website or an About Us/About Company type page so it makes it all a little suspicious to me or at least annoying in regards to not knowing who's behind the game in the first place.

This is the trail of events that led me to feeling like this would be a useful tag to have for gacha players and non-gacha players and should be required as to prevent the company themselves from looking predatory. Potentially can be used as a filter to prevent kid's from tripping up on it as well. Also has future implications as society in general grapple with how to deal with these types of game mechanics that are similar to gambling.

[Amaterasu]

What are you talking about? Hiding the fact that Gacha games are Gacha games and preying on people with addictive personality is the best thing for the industry. The poor struggling devs need to be predatory with their practices just so that they can go to their tent and eat barley grain porridge every night! I mean, maybe, if enough whales and krakens buy currency to spin what they want... the devs might all be able to pool their resources together and get a house! A whole house for all of them at once!

[Migs]

Agreed, I'm not into these type of games and it would be immensely helpful to be able to filter them when browsing for games while also being useful to others intentionally looking for them.

[William Shakesman]

Steam places no value on ideals of consumer protection so it is unlikely they are going to make a change like this.

[❤ Sly Succubus ❤]

Unless its strictly pay to win, then this idea is rather bad as anything within the realm of gacha would go under it, including CS:GO, TF2, basically anything with a loot crate, hero spin, card pull....

However I don't need to explain how basically half of those games are not gacha ones, its just people need to check before playing and complaining.

[Amaterasu]

Originally posted by William Shakesman:

Steam places no value on ideals of consumer protection so it is unlikely they are going to make a change like this.

Nah man, Steam is just thinking of the poor starving executives! I mean... those poor executives have to live in mansions instead of moonbases and eat rare foods instead of foods that were created just for them by a choir of 15 singing angels.

[Migs]

Originally posted by William Shakesman:

Steam places no value on ideals of consumer protection so it is unlikely they are going to make a change like this.

It's not just about consumer protection tbh, gacha games tends to have mechanics I dislike and find unfun (just as some people might think the opposite), so if we had a category, it would be a really good QOL addition to the store to be able to filter them.

It's no different from "simulation" and "turn-based" being a category, it's helpful to have.

[Start_Running]

Looking at the store page. it mentions "Hero COllection". So its basically a Freemium game based around collectibles.

Kinda curious where people thought the hook was gonna be.

[BJWyler]

You can always start tagging games with that and hope it catches on.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by BJWyler:

You can always start tagging games with that and hope it catches on.

There is that.

[Jairoe03]

Originally posted by Mischievous Sly Succubus:

Unless its strictly pay to win, then this idea is rather bad as anything within the realm of gacha would go under it, including CS:GO, TF2, basically anything with a loot crate, hero spin, card pull....

However I don't need to explain how basically half of those games are not gacha ones, its just people need to check before playing and complaining.

I think there can be more thought around the requirement like only required for games that exceed a certain number of views in store etc. You would hope if implemented, it would be vetted by an actual professional internally and only for games that is catching enough attention as to not make the task too onerous on the Steam staff.

You are right, it would be hard to create a definition that captures exactly what is being asked but I think Steam would be getting ahead of the curve if it does something to address these types of game designs and requiring developers to make it obvious and give the platform a tad more credibility in how games are presented on the platform which is a mess as it is already especially regarding categories. Additionally, if I liked gacha games, this would make it easier to shop/make comparisons etc.

I disagree in "hero collection" being stated like once in an entire store front description in making it obvious that its a gacha and requires extrapolation. Don't just take my word though, peek at the forum yourself and see that I wasn't the only one that had an impression this was a regular JRPG tactics game.

[❤ Sly Succubus ❤]

Originally posted by Jairoe03:

Originally posted by Mischievous Sly Succubus:

Unless its strictly pay to win, then this idea is rather bad as anything within the realm of gacha would go under it, including CS:GO, TF2, basically anything with a loot crate, hero spin, card pull....

However I don't need to explain how basically half of those games are not gacha ones, its just people need to check before playing and complaining.

I think there can be more thought around the requirement like only required for games that exceed a certain number of views in store etc. You would hope if implemented, it would be vetted by an actual professional internally and only for games that is catching enough attention.

You are right, it would be hard to create a definition that captures exactly what is being asked but I think Steam would be getting ahead of the curve if it does something to address these types of game designs and requiring developers to make it obvious and give the platform a tad more credibility in how games are presented on the platform which is a mess as it is already especially regarding categories.

I disagree in "hero collection" being stated like once in an entire store front description is very obvious and requires extrapolation. Don't just take my word though, peek at the forum yourself and see that I wasn't the only one that had an impression this was a regular JRPG tactics game.

I'm not sure either mate, like a few games I play have a gacha section granted, but their not gacha games. Like you could do the gacha side of Tower of fantasy if you wanted to but its entirely optional as well, you get guns and heroes regardless of it there so..idk xD

[76561199540158642]

basically all games are gacha style today, i can't honestly think of 1 game that don't have some type of random chest loot for cash roll.

its been a ongoing thing for the past 10 years, so unless you just woke up out of a comma or crawled out from under a rock, gacha is nothing new.

play for free , and or take a chance on the free loot rolls they give you but don't go throwing money at bad odds for video gratification.

gacha is not a casino, there is no payout if you win.

[Jairoe03]

Originally posted by Golden Unicorn:

basically all games are gacha style today, i can't honestly think of 1 game that don't have some type of random chest loot for cash roll.

its been a ongoing thing for the past 10 years, so unless you just woke up out of a comma or crawled out from under a rock, gacha is nothing new.

play for free , and or take a chance on the free loot rolls they give you but don't go throwing money at bad odds for video gratification.

gacha is not a casino, there is no payout if you win.

You probably made more of an argument why it should be a category than not, tbh. Lol. This has nothing to do with me worried about how I spend my money on anything either.