Those game theories in mobile games from "twist the egg" to "treasure chest"

Outside a supermarket on the outskirts of Tokyo, a little girl urged her mother to give her three 100 yen coins.

She chose one of the dozen machines in front of her, dropped the coin in, and an opaque plastic ball rolled out. She opened the ball and was disappointed to find a pirate rabbit in a purple dress. She wants the blue one.

What does this scene represent? Is it a minor disappointment in childhood, or the source of a "treasure box" debate in which two schools of views are fiercely opposed? The debate could bring the $135 billion global video game industry into conflict with gaming regulators.

Either way, Nintendo has found a way to capture the 100 yen coins: to attract users with the charismatic and representative character Mario as the leader.

The capsule toy machine in the supermarket is called "Gacha" in Japan. This principle of seducing young people into blind betting on what they want is not unique to the country (from Panini football stickers to LEGO miniatures, etc.).

However, with the passage of time, these ubiquitous machines occupy a large and amazing space in the lives of Japanese children. They spare no effort to make use of the pursuit of novel collections, which can continue to adulthood.

Therefore, it is not surprising: in the mid-2000s, when Japan led the world in the field of mobile games, game developers such as Konami realized how amazing their income would be if they could integrate the "egg twisting" mechanism into the gene of this form of digital entertainment.

The premise is simple: the game is free, and players can progress slowly without spending money. But in the game, the virtual twist machine will provide players with an opportunity to spend real money to upgrade faster. Instead of buying better gear or characters directly, you have the chance to win them by luck. The concept of "treasure box" was born.

This concept quickly became popular among Japanese players and then among other Asian players. Mobile games currently account for more than half of the huge revenue of the game industry, a large part of which comes from Asia.

Even so, Japan stands out. In terms of the absolute income of mobile games, Japan ranks third, second only to China and the United States. But in terms of the expenditure of each player, due to the twisting mechanism, Japan ranks first with considerable advantages.

In 2018, among the top 10 mobile games in Japan by revenue, 9 mobile games were profitable through the egg twisting mechanism; If the game only provides direct purchase, its performance will not be so good.

As this mechanism spreads to markets all over the world, various disputes arise. Regulators are not sure where to draw the line, but they have stumbled into the field.

In other parts of the world, game developers hide the most desired products behind the "treasure box" mechanism, which has aroused the anger of players.

But around this topic, the most popular question is how close to the definition of gambling is an addictive and large-scale game of chance. Some authorities, most notably Belgium, think it has clearly crossed the line and banned games with certain twist elements.

A forum of gaming regulators from 19 European countries has been studying in-game twist trading for the past year, which shows the magnitude of the problem. On 2 October, the forum strongly recommended that states take the initiative to establish clear rules.

Just a few days ago, Nintendo released the mobile game Mario Kart tour, which integrates the twisting mechanism into many cartoon characters that players of all ages are familiar with and love in an incredible way. Better vehicles, new characters and other gear are all hidden in the "twisted egg" with a fixed exit probability, which players can buy with real money.

一些分析人士已预测，扭蛋和其他让游戏更容易上瘾且更有利可图的微交易，都将面临大清算——不只是在公众舆论的法庭上，还包括现实中的法庭上。这可能还有些遥远，但随着任天堂祭出最新的招数，可能这一切都已无法回头。

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