General Gacha Gaming Rules and Tips for Beginners

This section is aimed at helping people handle a typical **Gacha game** and also help newer people who never played a game like this before.

## Gacha Summons

***Gacha* games** are video games that adapt and virtualize the *gacha* (capsule-toy vending machine) mechanic. In the monetization of video games it is similar to loot box, in inducing players to spend money. Most of these games are free-to-play mobile games. In *gacha* games, players spend virtual currency, which can be from a machine; however real money is usually eventually spent to obtain the virtual currency and opportunities to use it.
Basically speaking these types of games can be **dangerous for your wallet**, but also **super fun** if you know how to handle it.

## Tips for being succesful

Whether you are a **f2p** *(someone who won't spend real money to obtain units)* or **p2p** *(someone who does)* there are several helpful things you can do to enjoy almost every gacha:

* Almost every Gacha is very generous with their **premium currency** at the beginning of an account, which means that you almost always will want to **reroll** your account. This means:
	+ **Completing** the tutorial and getting every reward available from your inbox.
	+ Rolling for the **strongest unit possible / your favourite unit**
	+ If you got what you want, make sure to **connect your account** to the in-game backup system
	+ If you didn't get it reinstall or delete the game data and **repeat from the first step** until content.
	+ Lastly **don't** get to hung up on units which seem to not roll for you. **Don't lose your mind** over a reroll. Most units will be **powercrept** sooner than later.
* **Fest-type Events:** Every gacha has a special type of **event** where most of the units will be more **special / stronger** than on normal pick up summons. They are known as **fests** or **fes**. It's not unlikely that Pokémon Masters will have something along the lines of a *Masterfest* with super rare Trainers. Especially for f2p players it is adviced to **save** for these special occasions. These banners could be a regular monthly happening or just happen unregularly. Some of these banners even have **guarantee mechanics** built in after a certain amount of spent premium currency, so the more you have the better your chances at pulling a **super rare unit**. If you get a good reroll saving up for these banners is even easier since you won't have too much trouble with ingame content. Fest-type events are pretty much only overshadowed by **anniversaries**. You should know when you want to start saving for these types of events, but 1 - 6 months seems to be generally accepted as a good saving period. Anniversary units are more often than not **gamebreaking** or at least **staple** units.
* **Progression through the game:**
	+ Since almost every gacha is similar to one another we can assume that in Pokémon Masters it might be wise to go **as far as possible** in story mode. You might be able to finish it with your current team or your team might hit a wall where you need to power up.
	+ Materials to strengthen or evolve your characters tend to be **scarce** in the earlier life-stages of gacha games. After hitting a wall where you can't progress with your team it's most likely time for you to **grind** some materials.
	+ After a while harder and more extreme content is likely to be released. This is more or less the endgame of a lot of gacha games. Especially if there is no PVP, though for Pokemon Masters a PVP system and especially an ARENA system is likely, where you need to beat other players around the world.
* **Gacha games are gambling:**
	+ **Yes they are**. There is no doubt about it. Please be careful when you decide to spend money on a gacha game. **Think about your finances first.** Yes, there are a lot of people who can easily spend thousands without hurting themselves, but if you are not one of them, please consider if you are able to spend without potentially **ruining your life.**
	+ Summons are **RNG** (**random** without any safety net, except for guaranteed summons as mentioned above) It doesn't matter how much currency you have. It might still not be enough. Think about if you really want to spend money for a **virtual unit** before actually doing so. Spending money isn't bad since it's how the game lives, but again don't ruin your lives for a shiny unit or a swimsuit Cynthia waifu.
	+ Don't rage at the community after getting shafted. This is more or less optional. You can obviously vent inside the appropriate places in a community, but slamming the game because you didn't get what you wanted is pretty low. Most people won't care.
* **Have Fun**
	+ This is by far the most important point. **Have fun with the game**. If you feel too **frustrated** or just don't feel like grinding out some more materials or a new unit just **don't.** People can actually burnout from too much grinding. Take your time and go on with your own pace. If a game is taking over your life consider **quitting**.
	+ If you need help with gaming or gambling addiction please consider professional help.
	+ Helpful Link for Gambling addiction: https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/making-a-change/taking-control/tools-for-quitting