In an age of instant dopamine hits, more Koreans are chasing quick thrills through toy vending machines, or gacha – games of chance that keep them coming back for more.
For about 5,000 won (RM156) to 10,000 won (RM313) a spin, each turn of the handle dispenses what is known as a gachapon, a plastic capsule containing either the object of desire or a small disappointment, followed by the inevitable dopamine crash.
Across the country, malls, arcades and even subway stations have embraced these vending fantasies of suspense and luck so much so that Koreans coined a word for it: poppamine, a portmanteau of dopamine and ppobda, meaning “to pull something out” in Korean.
The poppamine trend shows how anticipation has evolved into enterprise, now large enough to stand on its own in retail.
According to industry estimates, Korea’s gacha market, valued at 10 billion won (RM313mil) in 2022, expanded fivefold to 50 billion won (RM1.6bil) in 2024.
Go-to hubs for such games include I’Park Mall and AK Plaza, which have readily embraced Japanese anime and gaming culture to attract crowds of avid collectors.
At I’Park Mall’s Yongsan branch, nearly 1,000 capsule machines line the corridors across its various gacha zones, including Gacha Park, Gacha Land and the Bandai Namco Korea Store, which alone houses 355 machines featuring the company’s full line-up of character franchises.
The mall’s gachapon sales reached 1.7billion won (RM53mil) in August, up 13% from July, and climbed to around 2 billion won (RM63mil) in September. Gacha Park alone brings in over 300 million won (RM9.4mil) each month.
Koreans are no strangers to vending-machine games built on anticipation and surprise.
Many share the experience of steering the joysticks of UFO catchers at arcades, trying to seize a plush toy with a claw that always seems to let go at the last second. While the psychology behind claw machines mirrors that of gacha machines, it offers a sense of control over what players might win, with the thrill lying in the almost.
The trend of using cute trinkets as self-expression remains a national pastime, with many accessorising handbags and phone cases with fluffy dolls and miniature collectibles.
“Affordable bag charms allow young consumers to express their individuality without financial strain,” said Professor Lee Eun-hee, who teaches consumer studies at Inha University.
Yet, the proliferation of claw machine arcades has sparked concern that what appears to be harmless entertainment may, in fact, border on probability-manipulated gambling. — The Korea Herald/ANN
