“I think gacha games have less monetization... or like, top-down stuff. Because it’s separated from the gameplay. You’re making a good game, and then gacha is the monetization. Whereas for a [free-to-play strategy] game like Clash of Clans, monetization is the core thing, and you pay for time.” However, he acknowledged that the game still involved gambling. “I think it deserves to be criticized. Or at least looked at critically.”

$90,000

Video games are probably the biggest recreational investment in my life,

who had spent over $16,000

“only” spent around $1,000 after saving for over a year

hey still lived with their families.

t costs around $444 to guarantee a particular character through the game’s pity system, which increasingly stacks the percentages in your favor as you pull. If you’re going for a specific featured weapon, the figure is $592.

“If my family and non-gamer friends ever knew, they would absolutely lose their minds,” said one government employee who spent over a thousand dollars on the game.

“It’s like that Ariana Grande song: I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it,” said one anonymous investment banker who’s spent over $10,000 i

an unfair advantage

if you play Clash Royale and you paid to upgrade all your cards to level 13, you'll have a clear advantage against an opponent with level 11 cards. However, the free-to-play player can and will eventually have the same level 13 cards, but they'll have to make a bigger effort than you.

Pay-to-fast, also known as Pay 2 fast or P2F, is a term used for video games that let you progress in the game quicker if you spend real-life money on them.

these heavily loot-focused games have always had a slot-machine quality, which Diablo Immortal’s business model makes literal.

to upgrade the gems you have, and eventually to slot in each gem’s additional resonance slots. It’s endless.

You wouldn’t know it when you start playing the game. At first, Diablo Immortal is as fun to play as it sounds: a lightweight, portable, social, and quick-fire version of Diablo 3.

using AI as a tool to enhance human creativity, rather than as a replacement for it. Education and public awareness campaigns can help people understand the value of traditional art and the importance of supporting artists.

e potential to disrupt the traditional art market. As AI-generated art becomes more prevalent, it could lead to a decrease in demand for traditional art, causing artists to lose income.

ome artists believe that AI-generated art lacks the emotional depth and authenticity that comes with human creativity

AI can generate artwork at a much faster rate than humans

artists understandably nervous about their own futures — why would anyone pay for art, they wonder,

“I’m not going to apologize for it,” he said. “I won, and I didn’t break any rules.”

In your opinion, how do A.I.-generated pictures like these compare to an original piece of artwork

it challenges what it is to be human.

“We should learn to appreciate the beauty and the creativity of AI. Because if we leverage AI, if we work with AI, maybe we can better develop our own creativity. Maybe we can collaborate with AI, and achieve something we cannot achieve alone,” he says. “But if we are unaware of our bias against AI, that is not possible.”

It’s not like some people prefer Coke and some prefer Pepsi. It represents a deeper philosophical question about our understanding of human identity,”

who believe that creativity is a uniquely human characteristic