Overseas users are dissatisfied with the billing model of the smartphone game 'Mario Kart Tour'
The smartphone game `` Mario Kart Tour '' distributed by Nintendo for Android and iOS adopts a charging model that is common in modern mobile games, with basic play free and in-app billing. However, there are problems with the billing model for Mario Kart Tour, says
6 Ways Mario Kart Tour Triggers You Into Gambling Your Money
https://growth.design/case-studies/mario-kart-revenue-model
Since 'Mario Kart Tour' is a game for smartphones, it has a different design from the 'Mario Kart' series that has been produced so far. For example, various information such as 'news' and 'coins' are displayed on the menu screen that users see most often.
Mr. Xavier pointed out that this design was of course not arranged randomly, but was designed to induce as much noise as possible. To know what that means, you first need to know about the game's 'ranking system.'
In Mario Kart Tour, the score ranking of users who have earned a lot of points is displayed to all users. Mario Kart Tour is a ``racing game'' without exception in the Mario Kart series, and ``speed'' should be the standard if you simply evaluate the player's skill. However, in Mario Kart Tour, the 'points' earned through the race are used to determine superiority or inferiority.
To earn these points efficiently, you need to use strong characters, strong carts, and strong equipment. If you don't have these, even if you win the race, you won't be able to rank in the rankings.
Most of the strong characters and karts can be obtained by 'charging'. But that doesn't mean you should just pay for it. It is basic to charge and get the most valuable currency 'ruby' in the Mario Kart Tour, and use that ruby to turn 'gacha'.
Regarding this 'gacha' system, Mr. Xavier commented, 'It causes gambling addiction, and the government has begun to pay attention to it, and we recommend that it be regulated by the gambling law.' The problem is that games that children play have become hotbeds for gambling.
Also, in Mario Kart Tour, a special effect will be displayed every time you draw a 'gacha'. In this regard, Mr. Xavier introduced the psychological term 'shaping'. Shaping is the process of ``starting with a simple action to achieve the desired behavior, making it easier to achieve the final goal''. Mr. Xavier points out that the Mario Kart Tour aims to get the user accustomed to gacha by ``swiping the screen to draw gacha'', which is a very fraudulent method.
In addition, regarding the menu screen for billing in Mario Kart Tour, the so-called 'shop' screen, Mr. Xavier said, ``Emphasis that it is limited to a limited time or a daily change, and the value of rarity is added to items that are not necessarily valuable. It is clear that it is increasing, ”he complained.
By the way, in order to get a strong character that Mr. Xavier has an eye on with Gacha, it is possible that it may be necessary to spend more than $ 3,400 (about 468,000 yen) by simple calculation.
Mario Kart Tour also has 'coins', which are less valuable currencies than 'rubies'. Coins can be earned by playing games, and can also be obtained by consuming rubies. However, Mr. Xavier accuses this model of replacing real money with obfuscated virtual currencies such as rubies and coins and hiding the true value of money, which is structured to rip off money from users.
Also, there is an upper limit to the number of coins that can be obtained by playing the game per day. Mr. Xavier points out about this system, ``We are inviting users to come back to the platform, but we just stop paying for their efforts.''
Mr. Xavier continued to point out that 'bots' are getting into the game, and the existence of bots is a problem because they are arousing competitiveness and increasing dependence on gambling.
Overall, Mario Kart Tour is a Pay-To-Win game, and Xavier questions whether it really qualifies as a friendly game for children to play.
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