My Thoughts on the Gachapocalypse

 

Pictured - CC's 'Warlock's Cabinet', MadPea's Y2K computer, Hextraordinary bonsai, and Nomad "Misfortune Teller". 

In May 2019 I wrote about Gacha in Second Life. Gacha machines were vendors that dispensed one of several displayed objects when you paid for a pull. There was no guarantee you would ever get the prize you want, since the outcome was random, and the machines were programmed so that you had more chance of getting 'commons' than 'rares'.

Some have compared gacha machines to gumball machines in real life, but a gumball machine has a definite known content. Gacha machines dispensed 'virtual' content, that was computer generated. That meant that although you might have gotten the 'rare' on the first try, the odds were that you will have a better chance at getting a 'common'.

In spite of that, many merchants made a living making and selling gacha items. Another group made a living buying gachas and re-selling them on the secondary market. There were rumors that some merchants who created the items also sold some gachas on the secondary market as 're-sold', but it was never proven.

When I wrote the article it seemed like gacha were an integral part of Second Life,  then Linden Labs announced that selling Gachas would no longer be allowed after August 31st. There has been a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of this move.

Apparently the move was in response to some concern that using gacha machines could be considered gambling, since you are paying for an unknown result with the possibility of getting something worth more than you paid.  There were comparisons to 'loot boxes' in some video games.

I hadn't played many gacha recently. I bought items in full sets, or from the secondary market. At one time I had a minor addiction, because it was a thrill to get a rare after only a few pulls, but looking back I realized that, like a gambler, I remembered the 'wins' and not the 'losses'.  In the end it seemed gachas seemed to be a waste of time and money and my inventory was full of worthless duplicate 'commons'. Unfortunately, some items were available only through gacha machines or the secondary market.

My Research:

With many merchants opting to have "End-of-Gacha" sales I decided to have one last fling. I decided to visit four merchants whose work I liked and try my luck  do some research. My goal was to see how long it took to get complete sets. 

In the end I made about 150 pulls, paying about $13.00 U.S. dollars. I got some of the rares I wanted, but one machine required 100 pulls to get the full set.

Some of the rares I got were MadPea's "Big Bulky Computer" from their Y2k set, Nomad's "Misfortunate Teller",  and the complete "Industrial Art Deco' furniture set from Nomad. 

Conclusion:

Some of the items I got I would have bought as individual items, or in a fat pack, but some were in gacha sets that had as many as 27 pieces, which would make getting a full set a grind and an expense.

Since common gachas are often sold for less than the original 'pull' price on the resale market,  I doubt I will be able to recoup much of my investment by selling the duplicates. 

Postscript:

Note: 7-11-22 Since regular Gachas were banned, I find that former 'gacha' items are being sold several ways.

Individual items that were bought from gacha machines are still being sold on Marketplace and inworld by resellers.

Some gacha makers have repackaged their items into vendors giving you a choice of individual items or "fatpacks" containing every item in the set.

Still other makers are using "Meopons" or "Up Next" machines that offer you one item for sale, and a look at what is 'up next' if you buy the current object. Some of these vendors seem to be stuck on one unpopular item, and some appear to automatically rotate the items. In one case I actually bought three items in order to get the fourth to complete a set but I am more likely to landmark a machine and check back periodically. I have not seen a lot of activity around these machines except at the Arcade.

Many stores have put former gachas into 'fatpacks' that are selling for less than some of the rare items inside, but making the items in the fatpacks non-transferable. 

From a buyer's viewpoint, I appreciate being able to buy individual items or fatpacks without having to gamble and having accumulate a lot of 'commons' before I can get a 'rare', although I miss the thrill of the chase a little*.

*just a little