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A study of gatcha games: the UX of the Pokemon TCG Pocket app
Has Pokemon given in to the evils of gatcha gaming? Is gatcha gaming evil? What is gatcha gaming?
The closest I’ve ever been to gambling is ripping into Pokemon card packs, a vice that started in childhood and continues to eat into my disposable income today.
Pokemon TCG Pocket, an app that digitally recreates the experience of ripping open booster packs and collecting cards, has proven to be a wildly successful facsimile. The app, which released in October 2024, earned approximately $400 million by January 2025.
How did a free-to-play app manage such a feat?
The psychological pull of gatcha gaming.
What is gatcha gaming?
The wild success of the Pokemon TCG Pocket app, a way to digitally collect Pokemon cards, is arguably an indication that gatcha gaming is more mainstream than ever. The word “gatcha” comes from “gashapon” which references the Japanese toy dispensers that pop out random, often collectable toys for a couple hundred yen.
A gatcha game, like the popular titles produced by Chinese game development company MiHoYo, typically offers the opportunity to play for free, but piles on paid features, namely “pulling” or “rolling” for new characters or items.
Take Genshin Impact, my dirty secret of a gatcha gaming habit, for example: it is entirely possible to play for free, to never spend a single cent and still experience the majority of the game. However, the game frequently updates with limited time offerings of “character banners” that feature new, powerful characters that players can spend “Wishes” on to try to win.
Ten Wishes used at once, a “ten pull” guarantees a four-star rarity item or character. Approximately every 70 Wishes used on a single banner will give players a five-star character or…
