Setting transformation in Gacha games as a strategy to engage people

Abstract

This research shows how setting transformation has emerged as a key strategy for engaging players within the Gacha game genre, a market characterized by intense competition where older titles rarely disappear but rather recede into the background. The analysis argues that the genre's fundamental resilience stems from two interconnected factors: its structural similarity to casino gambling and its character economy, which transforms players' emotional attachments into sustainable monetization.