Kakin (課金), or pay-to-win in English, may not be that big of an issue in your country, but it is an issue everyone in Japan talks about.
Not only is Japan the home to anime culture, it is also the home to many kakin-heavy mobile games which are basically free but offer loads of in-game purchases. Examples are, needless to say, Fate/Grand Order and almost all mobile games in the market. The Japanese has great respect to artists/game and anime makers and the characters under their brushes, which is why they are willing to risk their savings for 1% chance of getting the character they want in a mobile game.
Voice actress Aoi Yuki believes “kakin is on the same level with eating”.
(Screenshot Source: petit milady 2nd Live!)
Voice actress Maaya Uchida said in a Final Fantasy XI radio show that she “usually kakin at least 5,000 yen because otherwise it would be disrespectful to the game that is free to begin with”.
(Picture Source: Amazon)
In 2017, Japan Online Game Association found that the Japanese mobile game market size alone was worth 1.1517 trillion while the entire Japanese online market – mobile games included – was worth 1.2796 trillion. The Japanese Cabinet Office conducted a research in the same year, and they concluded that 70% elementary/high school students were online game players.
It seems almost certain that kids are the ones who spend more and more on kakin games, but Japanese media MoneyPost recently reveals they are not the only ones.
“I used up the 100,000 yen I earn monthly from a part-time job. I used up all credits available in my credit cards. I didn’t pay for our pension insurance and health insurance, and that was how my husband found out.”
The woman MoneyPost interviewed is a 42 years-old housewife addicted to mobile games about virtual male idols. After her husband realised how serious the issue was, he decided he would move out to cool down a bit. In the end, he sent her a divorce letter.
The rising number of middle-aged women mobile game players was proven when Sega, best known in the mobile industry for their otome rhythm game Yumeiro Cast, confirmed in 2016 that they had a large portion of female gamers who were at their 40s and 50s.
Yumeiro Cast had over 1.1 million downloads in 2016
Tracing back to the roots will take us to Japan’s common family hierarchy. Married women are not expected to work full-time. They are expected to stay home and take care of the family. Female journalist Yuki Ishikawa notices, Japanese housewives have relatively more free time and that leads to them killing time by playing mobile games.
Given that Japan’s workplace culture encourages working overtime and drinking with colleagues/business partners after work, the husbands who work full-time are less likely to spend time with their wives. The latter can only rely on mobile games for fun time, and perhaps some love from handsome anime guys.
The common after-work drinks with colleagues as depicted in Wotakoi ni Koi wa Muzukashii
Of course, the housewife in the interview may need to practice self control, and if she is planning to start a new relationship, she may also need to find a fellow otaku that understands her love for anime characters. Love is hard for otaku after all.
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