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Gashapon

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Gashaponcapsules
Japanese schoolgirls at gashapon

Gashapon(ガシャポン),also calledgachapon(ガチャポン),is a trademark ofBandai.Among the variety ofvending machine-dispensedcapsule toysthat originated in the 1960s,[1]it became popular inJapanand elsewhere.

Gashaponisonomatopoeicfrom two sounds,gasha(orgacha) for the hand-cranking action of a toy-vending machine, andponfor the toy capsule landing in the collection tray.[2]Gashaponis used for both the machines themselves and the toys obtained from them.

Popular capsule toy manufacturers includeTomy,which uses the trademarkgacha(ガチャ,gacha)for their capsule machines, andKaiyodo.In many countries and territories including Japan, China, the United States, the European Union (European Union trade mark) and the United Kingdom,Gashaponis a registered trademark of Bandai.[3][4][5][6][7]The capsule toy model has been adapted digitally into numerousgachavideo games,such asmobile phone gamesandmassively multiplayer online games(MMOs).

Description

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Capsule toy machines inHong Kong

Gashaponmachines are similar to thecoin-operatedtoy vending machines seen outside grocery stores and other retailers in other countries. While American coin-operated vending toys are usually cheap, low-quality products sold for a fewquarters(US$1or less), Bandai'sgashaponcan cost anywhere from¥100 (US$0.91) to¥500 (US$4.56) and are normally a higher-quality product, followed by other Japanese manufacturers. They are often constructed from high-gradePVCplastic, and contain more molding detail and intricately painted features. Manygashaponare consideredcollector's items,with rare ones fetching extremely high prices insecondhand markets.[8]

Gashapontoys are often licensed from popular characters in Japanesemanga,video gamesoranime,or from the American entertainment industry. These highly detailed toys have found a large following among all generations in Japan, and the trend is spreading elsewhere in the world, especially among adult collectors. It is not uncommon for sets marketed specifically for adults to feature risqué female figurines.[9]

Virtually allgashaponare released in sets—each series will have a number of figures to collect. They are by nature ablind purchase;people insert coins and may hope to get a toy or figure they desire. Such an amusement element may become frustrating, as one risks obtaining the same item repeatedly.

Enthusiastic collectors will buy sets fromgashaponstores in places such asTokyo'sAkihabaraorOsaka'sNipponbashi(Den-Den Town). Depending on the store, the sets are usually cheaper than buying them randomly out of a machine.

Bandaihas been sellingGashapontoys since at least 1977. As of March 2021,Bandai Namcohas sold3.711 billionGashapontoys for ¥100–500 each, generating approximately between¥371–1,860 billion($3.38–17 billion) in estimated sales revenue, since 1977.[10]

Types

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Blind-boxes

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In recent years,[when?]capsule toyshas also come to refer to blind-box trading figures, which are essentially the same product sold randomly out of sealed packages instead of a machine.[11]One brand that does blind boxes is Chinese toy brandPop Mart,which doesdesigner toys,is very popular with teenagers and young adults.

Bottle cap figures

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Another variety of capsule toys isbottle cap figures.These small figures are mounted atop plasticbottle caps,as might be found onsodabottles. They are sold both in machine capsules and blind boxes. The caps are not functional as they lackscrew threadsto secure them to the mouth of the bottle.

Video games

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Gachamechanism ingachagames

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Main article:Gacha game

Games—oftenfreemium—largely based on agachamechanism of monetization are referred to asgacha games.[12][13]Gachamechanism, orgacha,is essentially a monetization model which the user pays with in-game currency to enter a draw in order to obtain the character or item they want.[14]If a player does not obtain what they hoped for, there is the option of paying with their own money for more draws, and this is the main way to monetize theGachagames.[14]Thegachagame model arose in the early 2010s, faring particularly well in Japan.[12][13]

Gachacan be free to play. Rare or valuable gaming items often need to be obtained through specialgachapurchased with real money.[15]The games may feature different tiers ofgachapulls, which give different sets of rewards.[12][16]Examples ofgachagames includeGenshin Impact,[17]Fire Emblem Heroes,[12][18]Puzzle & Dragons,[12]andDragon Collection.[13]

Manyfree-to-playmassively multiplayer online games (MMOs) andmobile gamesalso usegachamechanics, with randomly generated items of varying market values being acquired viamicrotransactions.In addition, paidconsole gameshave includedgacha-style progression based on random items but with no in-app purchases, such asWork Time Fun.

The anime-oriented subculture surrounding the production ofgachagames has also given birth to the termgacha pop,referring toJ-popsongs in diverse genres, from those of pop actYoasobito rock musicianKenshi Yonezu,associated withanime soundtracksor aesthetics sought by a global audience.[19]

Impact ofgachamechanism on players

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Gachamechanism has come under scrutiny for its resemblance togambling.Similar to gambling,gachamanipulates the emotional state of the player, specifically the player’s sense of luck, satisfaction and insecurity, as well as the player’s financial stability and dopamine release to ultimately cause a gaming addiction and encourage continued game play.[14]Problematic use of gachahave also indicated to high levels ofgambler’s fallacy.[14]Gambler’s fallacyis a luck-related erroneous belief that a certain event is less or more likely to occur, based on a previous series of events.[20]

Winning high ranking virtual items ingachais extremely rare and unpredictable. As a result, this can ultimately trigger the gambler’s fallacy in players. To minimize the relationship between gambling and the use ofgacha,in 2016, theComputer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA)passed a law stating that companies must disclose the probability of drawing items in paidgachasso consumers can understand their chances of winning.[21][22]This law is now respected and followed by everyGachagame today.[21]

Besides gambling,gachagames are also commonly associated with a social phenomenon calledparasocial relationships.[23]Parasocial relationshipsrefer to a sense of attachment that develops between receivers and media characters.[23]In terms ofgachagames,Gachaplayers develop a parasocial relationship with in-game characters which players obtain throughgachamechanism.[15][23]This parasocial relationship is primarily developed based on the character’s aesthetic and rich narrative element.[15]Rentia and Karaseva’s study demonstrated how players are initially attracted togachagames due to the games' aesthetic although moving forward, players grow to greatly value the narrative elements associated with thegachacharacters.[15]

When a new character is introduced for the first time in a game, manygachagames will release a quest that follows the character’s life events, including the character’s life, intentions and aspirations, giving the opportunity for players to get acquainted with the characters. InGenshin Impactfor example, when players pull a character, they receive more information and backstory about that specific character.[15][24]Players can also read information on what characters think about other characters and their relationships.[15][24]It is at this stage in which some players develop an intense emotional connection and as a result, engage in a parasocial relationship with an in-game character. For many players, the charming anime-style design ofgachacharacters create a strong attraction, which in time evolves into a strong emotional connection, then a parasocial relationship with the character.[15][23]

As a result of parasocial relationships with in-game characters,gachaplayers will personify the probability of drawing characters.[23]Mackenzie and Lax’s study discovered howgachacommunities traditionally referred to the successful acquisition of a desired character as the character ‘coming home.’[23]This reflects how, because of the strong emotional attachment they feel towards the character,gachaplayers will personify or give human life to character so much so the character develops a human capacity to acknowledge the player’s desire, and therefore returns home to where they belong.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Gachapon: The Culture & History of Japanese Capsule Toys".9 March 2019.
  2. ^"Dengeki Hobby:: Ra đời 40 đầy năm “ガシャポン” tiến hóa の lịch sử とは? Sử thượng nhất も đề tài となったアイテムが7 nguyệt に sống lại!! ".hobby.dengeki.
  3. ^"Gashapon Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number 4015069:: JPlatPat".j-platpat.inpit.go.jp.
  4. ^"Gashapon Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number 4409039:: TM View".tmdn.org.
  5. ^"Gashapon Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number 2864782 – Serial Number 78158256:: Justia Trademarks".trademarks.justia.
  6. ^"Gashapon Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number 001997709:: EUIPO".euipo.europa.eu.
  7. ^"Gashapon Trademark of Bandai Co., Ltd. - Registration Number UK00901997709:: UKIPO".trademarks.ipo.gov.uk.
  8. ^"What is a gacha gacha?".Gacha Gacha World. 2013-02-15.Retrieved2013-02-24.
  9. ^"Curiosities from Japan's porno shops".demonbaby. 2005-08-22. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-12-25.Retrieved2013-01-16.
  10. ^Fact Book 2021.Bandai Namco Group.2021. pp. 3–6. Archived fromthe originalon 19 October 2021.Retrieved2 October2021.
  11. ^"Astro Toy with Rob Bricken: Dragonball x One Piece Dream Fusion".Anime News Network.Retrieved2013-01-16.
  12. ^abcde"'Fire Emblem Heroes' Is a Gacha Game ".Inverse.Retrieved2017-05-23.
  13. ^abc"Gacha: Explaining Japan's Top Money-Making Social Game Mechanism [Social Games] | Kantan Games, Inc. – CEO Blog By Dr. Serkan Toto".Retrieved2017-05-23.
  14. ^abcdLakić, Nikola; Bernik, Andrija; Čep, Andrej (2023)."Addiction and Spending in Gacha Games".Information.14(7): 399.doi:10.3390/info14070399.ISSN2078-2489.
  15. ^abcdefgRentia, George-Gabriel; Karaseva, Anastasia (2022).What Aspects of Gacha Games Keep the Players Engaged?.
  16. ^Koeder, Marco Josef; Tanaka, Ema; Mitomo, Hitoshi (2018).""Lootboxes" in digital games - A gamble with consumers in need of regulation? An evaluation based on learnings from Japan ".Econstor.eu.Calgary: International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
  17. ^"Genshin Impact review -" A true AAA gacha game "".pocketgamer.2020-10-05.Retrieved2024-02-02.
  18. ^"Nintendo's Mobile 'Fire Emblem' Is a 'Gacha' Game, Here's What That Means".Waypoint.19 January 2017.Retrieved2017-05-23.
  19. ^Hashimoto, Shohei (2023-06-15)."“Gacha Pop” はJ-POPに đại わる tân ジャンルになる の か? "[Will "Gacha pop" become a new genre that will replace J-pop?].Natalie(in Japanese).Archivedfrom the original on June 22, 2023.RetrievedAugust 1,2023.
  20. ^"Gambler's Fallacy: Overview and Examples".Investopedia.Retrieved2024-04-10.
  21. ^ab"ネットワークゲームにおけるランダム hình アイテム cung cấp phương thức vận 営ガイドライン".CESA: Giống nhau xã đoàn pháp nhân コンピュータエンターテインメント hiệp hội(in Japanese).Retrieved2024-04-10.
  22. ^Feit, Daniel."Gacha Watch: Japan's Social Game Industry Shifts Gears After Government Crackdown".WIRED.Retrieved2017-05-23.
  23. ^abcdefgLax, Gawain Lucian; Mackenzie, Madeleine (2015). "Against All Odds: Desire and Monetisation in Japanese Mobile Games".Authors & Digital Games Research Association DiGRA.
  24. ^abGenshin Impact: Beginner's Guide.Retrieved2024-04-10– via youtube.
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