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Event Type
Research Presentation
Academic Department
Mathematics and Statistics
Location
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Start Date
14-4-2023 1:30 PM
End Date
14-4-2023 3:00 PM
Description
Under the direction of Dr. Emelie Curl
In the video game industry, a recent trend has arisen where, instead of a single upfront cost for a game, games are “free-to-play,” with the company earning money through in-game “microtransactions.” A popular form of these microtransactions is the loot box/gacha systems, where a player purchases lottery trials rather than directly buying a desired item(s). Many articles, such as Mark D. Griffiths “IS THE BUYING OF LOOT BOXES IN VIDEO GAMES A FORM OF GAMBLING OR GAMING?” have compared this to gambling, particularly gambling games traditionally found in casinos, and criticize the lack of regulation on this multibillion-dollar industry. Here we look more in-depth at the statistics of the popular gacha game Genshin Impact while comparing it to two similar forms of traditional gambling: roulette and slot machines. MiHoYo (the company that publishes Genshin Impact) has not been completely explicit when divulging the exact probabilities of success, though they provide some basic numbers and overall probabilities. However, fans within internet subcommunities have found data that differs from what MiHoYo provides. Using a compilation of their own in-game trials, internet communities have found the existence of a hidden system that influences the probabilities of success in Genshin Impact. To test this, we used software such as Maple and Microsoft Excel to create simulations of trials within roulette, slot machines, and Genshin Impact, using probabilities from the publisher as well as user-generated data. We also put a concrete monetary value on successes within the gacha system of Genshin Impact in order to more accurately compare to traditional gambling. After reviewing and displaying this data, if viewed as a form of gambling, the gacha system of Genshin Impact would be one of the few forms of gambling that appear to favor the player rather than “the house.” Despite allowing for “free play” alongside microtransactions, Genshin Impact’s “player-friendly” method successfully subverts the archetypical “predatory casino” while remaining profitable. Thus, publishers have managed to circumvent the traditionally negative casino-player relationship of “the house always wins” while still collecting billions of dollars from players.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Gambling in an ARPG
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Under the direction of Dr. Emelie Curl
In the video game industry, a recent trend has arisen where, instead of a single upfront cost for a game, games are “free-to-play,” with the company earning money through in-game “microtransactions.” A popular form of these microtransactions is the loot box/gacha systems, where a player purchases lottery trials rather than directly buying a desired item(s). Many articles, such as Mark D. Griffiths “IS THE BUYING OF LOOT BOXES IN VIDEO GAMES A FORM OF GAMBLING OR GAMING?” have compared this to gambling, particularly gambling games traditionally found in casinos, and criticize the lack of regulation on this multibillion-dollar industry. Here we look more in-depth at the statistics of the popular gacha game Genshin Impact while comparing it to two similar forms of traditional gambling: roulette and slot machines. MiHoYo (the company that publishes Genshin Impact) has not been completely explicit when divulging the exact probabilities of success, though they provide some basic numbers and overall probabilities. However, fans within internet subcommunities have found data that differs from what MiHoYo provides. Using a compilation of their own in-game trials, internet communities have found the existence of a hidden system that influences the probabilities of success in Genshin Impact. To test this, we used software such as Maple and Microsoft Excel to create simulations of trials within roulette, slot machines, and Genshin Impact, using probabilities from the publisher as well as user-generated data. We also put a concrete monetary value on successes within the gacha system of Genshin Impact in order to more accurately compare to traditional gambling. After reviewing and displaying this data, if viewed as a form of gambling, the gacha system of Genshin Impact would be one of the few forms of gambling that appear to favor the player rather than “the house.” Despite allowing for “free play” alongside microtransactions, Genshin Impact’s “player-friendly” method successfully subverts the archetypical “predatory casino” while remaining profitable. Thus, publishers have managed to circumvent the traditionally negative casino-player relationship of “the house always wins” while still collecting billions of dollars from players.