Gacha Life

Popular programs in Role Playing

What is Gacha Life

What is Gacha Life?

Gacha Life is a free dress up game with mini-games. The emphasis is more on the avatars than the game.

Gacha is short for Gachapon or Gashapon, a Japanese onomatopoeia--a word that spells out a sound. Gachapon is known in other parts of the world as capsule toys, where you turn the crank and receive a prize in a capsule or ball.

In Japan, the sound of a crank is called Gacha.

In this context, gacha refers to the idea that you could get something random by opening the gacha item. This definition is the same as the loot box concept.

Coincidentally, the loot box sensation in gaming was inspired by early gacha games that predate mobile gaming. The world saw this coming before smartphones, but that's another story for another time.

If you've used Gaiaonline/Go-Gaia and remember the items and equipment for your avatars, it's a bit like that. Peak fashion options means you can choose so many different dresses, shirts, hairstyles, weapons, and role-playing equipment.

You don't have to choose one style, or even one setting. Feeling modern and cute? Dress up in the many up-to-date styles and suggest new ones to the development team.

Feeling adventurous? Let out your RPG power by dressing up in armor, robes, tunics, and many other pieces of equipment that merge fashion and function.

Well, okay, maybe not function with some of the options. If you've played a lot of RPGS--especially many Japanese MMO (massively multiplayer online) games or a Korean MMO games, you'll know that isn't the point.

For Teens, but May Hit A Child's Recommended List

Gacha life is more for teens and up than children, especially since it has community features that can't be controlled no matter the platform.

The outfits run the gamut of style, and some of those styles can be too revealing. While this is a global internet-facing game and many cultures view clothing differently, it's important to note that adult, sexy styles are involved.

Clothing design and teen-plus styles aside, all parents need to be aware of how online communities work. Unfortunately, even with an amazing moderator team, you can't prevent all exposure on the web.

That said, there are better online communities out there. Gacha Life isn't a terrible, toxic community even without considering places such as 4chan, many parts of Reddit, or online games like League of Legends and Overwatch.

The tone is generally teenage, and many parents are brutally reunited with what that means--especially if they missed out on some of the more ferocious teenage drama, or simply weren't aware at the time.

While most of the discussions are positive or critical within fair boundaries, there are cat fights and moderate trolling to keep in mind. It may be a bit much for a 12-year-old to encounter, but it's fairly typical teenage behavior.

There is always an exception, especially with a broad stage like the internet. This app can be a good opportunity to not only teach children how to properly sort, report, move on, avoid, or even challenge bad behavior, but a way for adults to modernize.

Returning to the point about parents being reunited with teenage drama, Gacha Life is on the more mild side and a good way to keep a pulse on what kids do. This is often difficult without coming off as creepy or controlling, but this is a specific use case.

As a parent, it's a good idea to at least keep an eye on your child's activities. Direct, constant monitoring can be problematic, but just being present and observant--but not intrusive--in the Gachi Life ecosystem can be educational.

If you suspect misconduct in the community, the reporting option is available. As a parent and a more experienced adult, you have more power and tools available to make informed, productive reports while building a constructive environment.

Pros and Cons

PROS:

• Deep customization with many outfit items to choose from.
• Other ways to earn items without spending real money.
• Mini-games!

CONS:

• Even if the gacha isn't terrible, spending real money on games can be risky.
• Potentially problematic community.
• Games are limited and not very challenging. Not much replay value if you're not into deep outfit collection.