My first
experience with gachas in world was paying a machine 25L thinking I was
going to get everything in the picture (mostly household items). Instead
I found in my inventory one useless little thing which could only be
described as terrifying. It had beady eyes and what I assume was
supposed to be fur and a tail. Already smarting from the frustration of
trying to figure out how to get the little demon out of the multiple
layers of packaging some clearly warped toy maker no doubt found
hilarious, I deleted it. Then I told a person standing nearby
what a ripoff it was and that the owner of the store had tricked me into
paying good money for garbage with no discernible purpose. She explained that I'd just unwittingly participated
in something called a gacha, and said how they were super fun
and addictive. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to funnel
money into a machine that was likely rigged to only spit out the gift
with the least amount of value and likability.
Ok, so I'm not even going to try and explain how I had forgotten those quarter prize machines that used to draw me in like little metal pied pipers for the first twelve years of my life, siphoning my meager allowance coin by coin and the sheer joy it brought when I finally completed a set. All I could think of gachas then was what a stupid waste of money they were and how they were designed to prey on those with weak impulse control. From that moment forward I avoided them. I even questioned the judgement of those who admitted to spending ungodly amounts of lindens on them, insisting that I'm all grown up now and too practical to fall for that nonsense.
Fast
forward just a few months and the anticipation of the latest round of the Arcade was killing me. I already had a list of machines I was going
to play and how much I was going to put into them. I had even devised my own
rules for 'fool proof success'. I spent 45 minutes on the first morning, trying to do homework while listening to the whoosh-DING! of failed TP attempts via my TP Hammer. I felt a little rush of childlike glee when the sounds finally stopped, indicating that I had arrived at the event. I then joyfully clicked and clicked for a good hour, carefully scanning the room several times to make sure I didn't miss any of the machines on my list. And why this sudden turn around, you ask? Because Blueberry.
I now meekly concede that gachas are in fact super fun and addicting and that once again, Second Life has humbled me by revealing elements of my character I had previously refused to believe existed.
Again, I blame Blueberry. Giggity.
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| Credits: Blueberry - Iconic Doll Set (@ the Arcade) Hair - Truth - Delaney Body - Maitreya Head - LAQ - Maxine @ Louane's World |
