The
terms gashapon (ガシャポン) or gachapon (ガチャポン) refer to a variety of vending machine-dispensed capsule toys popular
in Japan and elsewhere. "Gashapon" is onomatopoeic from the two
Japanese sounds: "gasha" (or "gacha") for the hand-cranking
action of a toy-vending machine, and "pon" for the toy capsule
landing in the collection tray. Gashapon is used for both the machines
themselves and the toys obtained from them. Popular gashapon manufacturers
include Tomy, which uses the shortened term Gacha (ガチャ gacha) for
their capsule machines, and Kaiyodo. In the United States, "Gashapon"
is a registered trademark of the Bandai Company, and gashapon are generally
referred to as blind box sets. The gashapon model has been adapted digitally
into numerous gacha video games such as mobile phone games and massively
multiplayer online games (MMOs).
Description
Gashapon
machines are similar to the coin-operated toy vending machines seen outside
grocery stores and other retailers in other countries. While American
coin-operated vending toys are usually cheap, low-quality products sold for a
few quarters (US$1 or less), Japanese gashapon can cost anywhere from ¥100–500
(US$1–6) and are normally a much higher-quality product. They are often
constructed from high-grade PVC plastic, and contain more molding detail and
intricately painted features. Many gashapon are considered collector's items,
with rare ones fetching extremely high prices in secondhand markets.
Gashapon
toys are often licensed from popular characters in Japanese manga, video games
or anime, or from the American entertainment industry. These highly detailed
toys have found a large following among all generations in Japan, and the trend
is filtering to the world, especially among adult collectors. It is not
uncommon for sets marketed specifically for adults to feature risqué female
figurines.
In
Second Life, many stores run by users of the game have created their own
Gashapon-style devices called "Gacha" that sell random objects in
their shops.
How
Second Life Gacha Works?
The
easiest way to sum up Gacha is by imagining those little quarter machines found
in supermarkets and other real-life stores. An image at the top shows the
products contained within. You put in a small amount of money and out pops one
of those items. You never know what you’ll get!
In game
Gachas are very similar. Gachas will have an image on or near the machine
showing you what’s inside. Most will tell you which items are rare, some will
even show the percentage chance it has to drop. A script in the machine is used
to give you a random item when you pay based on these percentages (whether they
are displayed or not.) The odds of winning a specific item depends on what
you’re going for and the rarity of the product. Remember, if you have a 1 in 3
(33%) chance to get a specific item, that doesn’t mean you’ll get it in 3
tries. It simply means that each try gives you 1 in 3 chances to get it.
Gacha
items are usually transferable. This way if you get a bunch of items you didn’t
want (or the inevitable doubles) you can trade, sell, or give them away to
others who may want those specific pieces.
Trading
Many
Gacha machines sell a set of items that are meant to go together. If you get
all but one set piece, it may be worth trying to trade your extras for that
piece you want. Other people may be specifically hunting for those spare parts
you have! If the item is credited to a specific brand, try joining the brand’s
group to see if anybody is interested in what you have.
Selling
(and Buying!)
Transferable
items can also be sold in world or on the Marketplace. Instead of taking the
chance to play, some people would rather outright purchase the items they want.
This lets you set your price and earn some of that money you spent back. This
works the other way too: If there is a specific piece you want it’s worth
checking to see if it’s for sale for a reasonable amount!
Giving
If you
neither want nor need to get something in return giving away the items is
always another option. If none of your friends want your free goodies, consider
the brand’s group to see if anyone is interested.
Keeping Up On Events
Gacha Events are usually promoted
through bloggers. Some of the larger events may even give bloggers access to
items in advance so they can show them off and promote the event.
Seraphim is one of my favorite resources
for all event info, not just Gacha.
In addition to posting about new events
they also have a free hud to keep up with events in game!
The Arcade is a popular Gacha hub and
event in world. They share info exclusively about their events.
On June 1th a new one started here is the shopping guide; http://thearcadesl.com/shopping-guides/june-2018/
And there
is The Epiphany
It is a
new and unique gacha event operating with the concept of using a turn-in credit
system. Players will be able to convert unwanted duplicates into points to be
used to redeem exclusive items.
Read
more about at: http://regenerationshapes.com/index.php/2017/01/23/second-life-gacha/
PocketGacha in Second Life
PocketGacha in Second Life
