Gacha games, where players spend virtual or real currency on randomized pulls for new characters or items, similar to vending machine toys, are often criticized because of their use of gambling to make a profit and manipulative tactics to encourage spending of money. While these points are accurate, I believe there’s more to the gacha system that can be overlooked. The randomness of it is often strict and unbalanced in games, and can be seen as unfair because of this. However, for me, the unforgiveness of the gacha system, as with a strict parent who fosters self-reliance in their child, has amounted to some positive benefits, which have the potential to override the negative ones. 

Because of the nature of gacha itself, games revolving around that mechanic grant more exposure to the world of gambling. The two are so similar, actually, that some countries have banned gacha games due to their resemblance to gambling. This is exactly why gacha games have a hidden benefit: to make one understand the stakes more before they partake in it in a more dangerous way. It’s impossible to lose real money in a gacha game unless you consciously spend it; only powers of suggestion can make you lose something meaningful in a gacha game(granted, those powers are pretty strong as has been pointed out many times before). It’s sort of like a simulation; since I now have experience with this type of gambling, I know the risk it carries better, and will theoretically be less likely to do something rash in terms of chance and randomness in the future. 

Although I’ve likened gacha games with gambling up until now, it can also be compared to that one underlying principle that both revolve around, which is randomness itself. There are a lot more situations in real life where one will have to rely on probability than on gambling specifically, so it’s important to learn how to deal with these situations. In my time learning about and adapting to different gachas, I’ve come to understand the risks of various types of situations, and the decision of what to do there. For example, if the item I want is rated up with a five percent chance, while every other item is lower, is it worth taking the chance to get? If there are other items rated at five percent along with it, then is it still worth the chance? Being forced into these scenarios has made me consider when I want to take the risk of randomness and when I think it’s more worthwhile to give up the risk. 

Decisions involving gacha pulls usually take some consideration, since they’re vital to figuring out my game plan as a whole-one wrong move could make or break an account, which has taught me to be more thoughtful and thorough in any decision I make, since I know what’ll happen if I’m not. However, I can’t deny the influence of impulse. Sometimes, impulse takes over, and the outcome of impulsive actions could be disastrous. Getting an item or character you don’t want or need will mean wasting time and work spent on getting to that point in the first place, which is completely undesirable by means I need not speak of. I have experienced this before, as well as coming to a premature and uncommitted choice of what to pull for, and I’ve suffered the consequences for it. This mistake has made me more aware of the dangers of impulsiveness and taught me to control myself better, because I know it’s in my best interest at the end of the day. In the same way, I’ve also learned foresight, the ability and willingness to ponder over, predict, calculate, and decide for the future. Knowing when to pull now for one item versus in the future for another item leads me to consider and compare the items’ worth, making me more confident in my decision and, if choosing to save for the future, also giving me more restraint over my pulls and the patience to save and wait for my desired outcome. In the interest of what is best for my account, I have to plan for the future to make the most optimized decisions, teaching me the value of planning ahead.

In order to understand gacha games to the fullest, there’s another factor that must be evaluated, and that’s in-game currency. Different gacha games will typically vary on rules and availability of their gacha currency, but certain games have a reputation for being stingy with it. Either way, in all games, it takes a good deal of time and continuous and streamlined effort in order to accumulate enough currency to be able to obtain the item one wishes for. It’s also important to note that the nature of gacha games makes it so that it’s possible to obtain the item especially quickly or slowly, but most of the time this won’t happen, so the aforementioned point is rather generalized, but still stands. Another detail to mention is that time is a much greater aspect to saving up currency than it appears superficially, since many of the best or most efficient routes to get rewards in gacha games are time-gated, such as daily missions. This emphasizes the value of said currency even more, as it can take months to replenish it once it’s gone. A trashed effort can mean wasted time that can never be brought back, and the need to spend even more time, or wait longer, to repeat the process. 

Granted the inflated value of gacha game currency, it often leads to further consideration of the intent of using it. This includes reevaluation of the worth of a desired item similar to what I’ve mentioned before: Do I really want to spend my precious currency on this item? If so, how much do I spend on it(what are my limits)? I’ve learned to be more cautious about spending currency and saving it up, to make smart choices to make good use of it, and to plan into the future to confirm healthy and acceptable spending of it. I often do rough estimations of how much currency I’ll have at a given point in the future, sometimes based off my past records of obtaining currency or the difference between how much I once had in the past and how much I have in the present, and this helps me be better prepared for determining when to use the currency and how much is ok for me to use. This emphasis on currency management has taught me resourcefulness, how to maximize limited resources and make them stretch toward my goals. 

While I don't deny that gacha games employ manipulative tactics and can be harmful, especially to those vulnerable to gambling addiction, my experience has shown me their potential as teaching tools. The lessons I've learned about probability, impulse control, planning, and resource management have applications far beyond gaming. Perhaps the key isn't to dismiss gacha games entirely, but to approach them with awareness and intention, extracting their educational value while remaining conscious of their risks. For me, the strict and unforgiving nature of gacha systems has been an unexpectedly valuable teacher, one that has prepared me to navigate uncertainty and make calculated decisions in a world full of chance.