>Morning shift
>Customer is angry that we disabled his card
>calm him down because it is a security measure
>We had to block his card because he spent 5k on Genshin Impact at 4AM and almost drained his entire bank account
>The instant we unblock his card he spends 200 more dollars on Genshin Impact
I’ve seen this happen before in Duel Links, Arknights, Fate and now Genshin. The people who indulge like this are called “whales”. Check this out:
He eventually sunk around $1,500 just for a weapon. This is gambling addiction.
Pretty much every big game these days relies on addictive hooks. James Stephanie Sterling did a great video on the way game companies prey on “whales” by filling their games with gambling mechanics. I honestly can’t recommend it enough if you haven’t seen it:
that video destroyed my mood for a good few days
really made it seem like we’re fucked and there’s no way to do anything to make video games better for people
like we’re all just fucked forever
I know that wasn’t the intention, but holy shit it’s bleak
Hey so Genshin Impact and mobile games like Fate Grand Order, Honkai Impact, and Mr. Love Queen’s Choice are great examples of what’s currently got gamers in a chokehold. This video is really really good. It forces you to look at the fact that gaming companies are intentionally creating gambling addition to keep you paying hundreds, if not thousands, into an otherwise FREE game.
They are intentionally going after people who have these types of behaviors and exploiting it, and creating it in people who didn’t have it before by making the games look absolutely fucking amazing and giving them just enough to make them want more.
Stay safe ya’ll. Take a break from games if the urge becomes too much. Read books, watch tv, paint, craft, skateboard, build a doghouse, knit, play sports, make a game yourself, do literally ANYTHING other than the freaking game because entire teams of people are working their asses off to get you to cave and pay out.
And thank god for James Stephanie Sterling