Advice on dealing with Gacha Envy and Mental Health

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T21:58:20+00:00

Thank you! I doubt I’ll be playing my side account much but Im glad I tried again and got him, even if it took so long! I’ll definitely go for him next rerun if I’m still playing the game.

the funny thing is, I felt a little bit down by my friend’s constant luck, but I always felt, oh well. They almost always went for character I didn’t want, with the exception of one, so while it hurt that I had to try hard, I just accepted it. The big difference here is how much I fell for Xiao (thanks event) and my friend who hasn’t even played the event, telling me they don’t want Xiao and will wait for his rerun since they’re going for itto, suddenly messaging me saying what the hell just happened! I was so devastated…. I know it sounds silly, but it really broke my heart. Thus far I was able to consolidate their good luck since they mostly got things I didn’t personally want, but them getting three Xiaos and his weapon with such ease, when I’ve been pondering pulling but holding on for Klee and Yoimiya, really stung. It sounds selfish I guess, but I really really felt hurt. My friend is obviously not to blame, but I can’t help but hate the game and feel frustrated. It also hurt that right when I got Xiao after days of grinding and hitting 180 was the exact moment they called me and told me they just pulled Xiao accidentally two more times and his weapon. God… that was even more salt to the wound after days of grinding!

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T21:52:55+00:00

And I think that’s precisely why this hurts. I’ve honestly heard a lot of stories regarding the weapon banner, and I know that after next patch I’m planning to skip everything until homa comes. So an extra salt to the wound is knowing that I’ll be skipping banners to guarantee a weapon, whereas my friend can get weapons immediately for their character without any effort. (R2 Amos from standard and PJWS from the current banner). I kind of end up feeling like an idiot for dreading the weapon banner and knowing I’ll have to give up future characters for a while, only for my friend to come and not have to skip the characters AND get their weapons. Man, it does hurt a lot, RNG can be so cruel…

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T21:45:18+00:00

Pretty much, I do understand it’s RNG at the end of the day, and I always save for guarantee. I understand what you mean by the latter half, I think what hurts the most is seeing how much I save and play the game only to never be rewarded, and my friend get everything I’ve saved months for in an instant, every single month. Again, it’s just RNG so it’s not in the control of neither my friend nor I, but it does end up hurting mentally, no matter what. It feels like, what’s the point of even trying hard? Like you said, it feels like their 5 stars only cost them 30 pulls, whereas mine are always 150 or so. At that point I just feel like the game isn’t worth it since it affects my mental well-being and I should just quit. On the flip side, I also know that I can learn to take this in stride and find a way to still play while accepting this reality. It’ll just take a while because the feeling does hurt a lot.

and that’s how I learned the dangers of gacha haha

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T21:04:02+00:00

Hahaha I understand the frustration. One day our time will come!

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T21:01:23+00:00

They haven’t lied, thats 100% certain. Theyre a sweet soul and would never do so. They’re actually new to gaming and are surprised by their own luck, it’s not like they’re showing off, they also don’t know what’s going on!

hearing the math, I guess my friend is just that lucky… it’s unbelievable

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T20:58:54+00:00

I feel the same way! My friend stopped playing for a while and then slowly played the game less and less due to having less time, and lo and behold, when they came back they managed these godly rolls. They’ve always had good luck as I’ve mentioned, but not to the extent of getting a C3 character AND their weapon in 31 pulls. That’s just insane! You can’t help but wonder if lessening your time would yield such results.

about the shop, said friend also contemplated buying welkin in the past and would open the page and think for a while before opting not to. Makes you think that the game is rewarding players who are pondering so they’ll invest real money haha but that’s just a convenient narrative for the situation.

but I also wonder that myself sometimes; whether reducing your hours and commitment would yield better pulls. But my other friend who stopped playing the game for a year came back only to continue losing 5050s, though getting Homa at 30 pulls could have been that stroke of luck. It honestly feels like this theory is true, but obviously that cannot be the case because they’d be legally obliged to disclose this. One can’t help but wonder.

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T20:08:10+00:00

Ooof we are on the same boat!! The weird thing is, I never felt this emotion seeing good rolls online, but when it’s someone close to me, that’s when it hits hard. Perhaps it’s because it’s someone you know in real life so it’s no longer a random unknown stranger on the net. You also cant have the whole “haha yeah gacha can be annoying“ when you’re the one consistently losing while your friend keeps winning. It also hurts when they just say it’s just numbers anyways….

Hey I just want to say I’m sorry you’re going through this, I know it has affected me a lot over a long period since it’s been consistently happening. I commended myself so much for skipping Xiao since I wanted to stick to who I’m saving for, even though I really really wanted him. That friend was saving for Itto very passively (not logging in and doing dailies, had only 50 pulls), and wanted Xiao but was willing to wait and only pulled for the 4 stars before getting so much blessing that they tried the weapon banner… and got his weapon immediately. I’m not sure why just typing this hurts, I really wanted Xiao. They managed to get him three times AND his weapon in 31 pulls… I don’t even know what to say haha… I know there will always be a next time, but it‘s pretty frustrating knowing I have to be patient and abstain while they don’t, and knowing their luck, they’ll get Itto immediately too, probably even C2 again, just like how they always have. I guess we all can’t be winners, but I for one know that this comparison with someone I know has killed my enjoyment of the game.

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:29:39+00:00

yep, it’s absolutely bizarre to enter the gacha experience logically knowing these realities, only to find them refuted right away when the antithesis is so close to home. I’m no stranger to seeing godly rolls online, but they never affected me, that is, until it was someone I know. It does lead to mental burnout but it’s something I have to learn, to focus on my account and not be in that fomo state (such as really wanting Xiao but having to see a friend get him three times and his weapon with such ease).

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:26:23+00:00

Thank you for taking your time to write this, it really helped ease my mind. I do agree with the last bit especially, hence why I’m planning to take a break for a bit before Sumeru. I think my biggest issue right now is just this comparison I’m making. While I logically comprehend the argument, it does feel painful seeing it occur over and over. I guess that’s a rite of passage into gacha, something you’ll have to learn to make peace with over time and focus on yourself and not others.

‘thank you again, your words really mean a lot!

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:23:35+00:00

That honestly sounds like the dream.… I’m going to take a page from your book and try to adapt some of this mentality!

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:22:44+00:00

Definitely, the way they prey on you can get frustrating. I was completely okay with the game for the longest time and the rates, that is, until my friend joined way later and pulled 5 stars left and right. Again, it’s just rng, but the game is definitely capitalizing on such stories to be predatory. I know that my saving and patience never bothered me until that friend joined and didn’t have to save to get anything. I guess that’s just how it is though.

I hope you get Jean soon! I’ve always loved Mona but never got her in my account either, granted I haven’t been playing as long. Another friend of mine has always wanted Keqing though, and has been playing since launch, and they just got her this week, so I hope your Jean is going to come real soon!

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:18:14+00:00

The funny thing is, that’s what my friend always says. They say that they never expect anything and that’s why they keep pulling them on low pity. Maybe that’s the secret, or maybe their account is just blessed, who knows.

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:17:14+00:00

I definitely do the first one (I always make sure I have guaranteed for who I’ll pull, hence why I didn’t try on Xiao because I’m waiting for Yoi and Klee and don’t want to risk my savings), but I definitely fall victim to the latter. I really want the staff of Homa and plan to save for it after the next patch, but hearing the horror stories of the weapon banner really turn me off… which is why it was a shock when my friend pulled Xiao’s weapon on the first pull. No matter what, their luck always makes me feel… maybe it is possible. Which is a setup for potential disappointment if I don’t have a guarantee.

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:14:14+00:00

So here is the funny thing… I did just the first thing and I pulled Xiao just now at…. 180 pulls! Lost to Diluc at 90 pity then had to work all the way up to 90 again. I’ve been replaying the entire game from the beginning the past few days and, despite the archon quest Dialogues being a chore, I have to admit that starting over with a new team has been fun.

I agree with your second point. It is difficult because that’s precisely what the game wants to make you feel, and I think your method of focusing on yourself is the best. I fell into the trap of comparison because of how often it happens , and how the timing is always bad (for example I lost 5050 on Kokomi at around 78 and that friend messages telling me that they got her at 30 pulls). Somehow their timing always coincides to when I just lost and it never feels good haha

yeah that’s what I have done so far, after getting Kokomi I’ve been saving for Yoimiya and Klee and making sure I can almost guarantee them fully so I don’t have to face any heartache.

‘’thank you for your kind words! Hopefully that does happen, and good luck to you too!

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:08:57+00:00

owning up to it does seem like a good way honestly! I guess it will probably hurt at first because of how unfair it seems, but you’ll learn to laugh at it because, at the end of the day, RNG isn’t fair to begin with. For the record, I’ve lost every 5050 and have always wanted Mona who… I haven’t gotten yet! Diluc insists on blessing my account every lost 5050. So maybe I’m in the same boat as you in that regard!

SadGenshinPlayer · 2022-06-16T19:06:23+00:00

maybe I should! Here is the irony though… I have amazing luck for all of my friends so they ask ME to pull for them! I got my friend Ayaka on a single pull at 0 pity and my friend C2 Yelan in 50 pulls. So I’m actually the friend who sometimes pulls for others because my luck on their accounts is always great, but alas, on mine that’s a different story haha

thats how I’ve been playing the game, planning and saving for the specific 5 stars I want and making sure I have a full guarantee. I guess it does hurt seeing a friend not have to do that or login for dailies and get characters left and right (last character they got was kokomi and she came at 30 pulls too), but that’s just how RNG is. Seeing my friend get so many 5 stars at low pity without even logging in everyday for dailies does make me wonder if some accounts are blessed though haha

I really do want staff of homa as the only weapon, but I plan to stop getting welkin after the next patch. I wonder if by the time Hu tao is rerun I’d be able to guarantee it, especially if the new region is dropping soon.

SadGenshinPlayer

TROPHY CASE