Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

It was still a familiar video style. However, the content of the video this time did not seem to be limited to a particular game. Instead, it was used as a science to smooth out the gameplay of ‘lucky draw’ in the game industry.

From the first game with the lucky draw method, to the popularity of the lucky draw in domestic games, and finally to why game designers, especially domestic designers, favored the lucky draw.

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Obviously, the biggest driving force was to increase revenue!

To a certain extent, the lucky draw exploited the weakness of human psychology. It was precisely because most people liked to bet on luck and enjoyed the feeling of obtaining something without working hard that the lucky draw activities could be so popular and sustainable.

In other words, the reason why the lucky draw made people feel happy was not entirely because of how precious the prizes were. It was only one aspect; more importantly, the psychological satisfaction that the lucky draw gave people.

In other words, this was a feeling of reaping without sowing.

Using ten yuan to draw out something worth a hundred yuan was an emotional stimulation to most ordinary people. They were taking advantage of others.

Qiao Liang changed the topic. “Actually, there are many similar situations in business.”

“Many merchants make use of the mentality that consumers want to reap profits without working hard and want to take advantage of others. They create activities that look very cost-effective but are actually tricking consumers.”

“However, the relevant departments would be stricter when it comes to commercial activities. The punishment would be stricter when it comes to false advertising and marketing cases that induce consumption. Therefore, similar situations are rare.”

“However, the game industry has gradually become a disaster zone.”

“That’s because games are not purely commercial activities after all. They are more inclined to cultural and entertainment activities. The value of virtual items has never been very clear. The relevant departments’ regulations are relatively weak. Therefore, lucky draw activities in many games have actually become the money-making tools of game merchants. The rules of the lucky draw are also diverse and chaotic. It is difficult to guarantee the benefits of gamers after charging money…”

Qiao Liang even criticized a few games.

For example, a certain mobile game had a scandal some time ago. The official lucky draw event had all been won by a few alternate accounts that had repeatedly changed their names. Moreover, thoughtful players had discovered that these alternate accounts would definitely win once they participated in the lucky draw event.

At that point, Pei Qian heaved a long sigh of relief.

“Still alright, still alright.”

“I thought Old Qiao was going to harm me again!”

“It looks like it has nothing to do with me or Longy Yu Corporation.”

“Long Yu Corporation might have also done a lucky draw, but they probably wouldn’t do something stupid like giving their own alternate accounts the prize. As long as their lucky draw is completely legal and compliant, Teacher Qiao’s video would probably not be AOE.”

Pei Qian was scared as well. Every time he saw Qiao Liang’s new video, he felt like it was directed at him.

However, he was happy for less than two minutes before Qiao Liang changed the topic.

“Then, some dear daddies might ask then, if it’s a legitimate and ethical lucky draw event, would there be no problem?”

“Of course not!”

“I’ve already said it before. The reason why the merchants are so passionate about the lucky draw is because they made use of the gamers’ desire to take advantage of others and reap without sowing.”

“Even if it is a lucky draw that does not involve under-the-table operations, no matter how much it looks worth, it can be summarized in one sentence: You might make a small profit, but the merchants will never make a loss!”

“That’s because you have to be sure that merchants will always understand probability better than you.”

“Especially the game developers, the design of the lucky draw system must be done by the company’s high-level system designers. They would definitely ensure that the entire lucky draw event would be beneficial to the game company. Please remember that luck will never win against the data.”

“What’s more, the probability of winning the lucky draw in the game is never real. Instead, it is a fake probability with countless conditions. The results look similar but the internal operations are worlds apart.”

“Players are actually participating in a game where ‘expected returns are negative’ and ‘you will never know the real and specific rules’.”

“You think that ‘20% drop rate’ is the rule, but in fact, there are countless fine rules behind this line. They are written in the code of the lucky draw program. You have no way of knowing.”

“For certain individuals, the actual profits are very high. However, if we were to average it out to everyone, it would be a game that would definitely incur losses.

“As long as the sample is big enough, from the perspective of the entire gamers, it would definitely be a loss. On the other hand, the game developers would not need to operate in secret. They would definitely profit.”

“However, everyone feels that they would be the lucky one. That’s why they were cheated time and time again.”

Qiao Liang explained everything in the video, showing off his game and probability knowledge.

That included the difference between ‘fake probability’ and ‘real probability’ in the game, the internal logic and operation mode of ‘fake probability’, and so on.

The core argument was that the lucky draw was actually a disguised promotional event. In fact, it made use of people’s mentality of wanting to reap without sowing. Through probability, a portion of players would bear the losses of another portion of players while the game merchants benefited from it.

No matter how much it looked like a good deal or how much it was discounted, as long as it still fit the basic characteristics of the traditional lucky draw rules, the final outcome would be that the players would suffer and the merchants would benefit.

The bullet screen comments were filled with exclamations.

“I learnt something!”

“Brothers, put your protection on the public chat!”

“As a former employee of the games industry, what Old Qiao said is true. In fact, the lucky draw is nothing more than making use of people’s mentality to earn money without working hard. No matter whether you are a Godd*mn lucky winner or an unlucky player, in fact, the one who would earn in the end would be the game merchant. What’s more, the real rules of the lucky draw are never purely real probabilities. Instead, they are fake probabilities that have been calculated by the system designers to ensure that most players’ final results are within expectations. It’s really the same sentence: You might make a small profit, but I will never make a loss!”

“Is Old Qiao going to offend all the game developers in the country? How many games are there that don’t do lucky draws? Everyone knows that lucky draws earn money quickly. This is cutting off one’s path to wealth!”

“After watching this video, I decisively held back my hand that wanted to draw the lucky draw. There is one thing that is right. People who like to draw the lucky draw do not like the prizes inside at all, but the feeling of drawing something good.”

“Indeed, no matter how good the item is, it will only feel good at the moment you draw it. You would get sick of it after playing it for two to three days, or at most a week. However, the thought of obtaining good items from the lucky draw would always exist. Therefore, you would still not be able to control your hand when you draw the next lucky draw. Unknowingly, you would not know where to spend the money…”

“Old Qiao is really bold. He even dares to make a video that reveals the truth.”

As if he had foreseen the possible reaction of the bullet screen comments, Qiao Liang changed the topic in the video. “Actually, this video was also posted out of inspiration.”

“The person who really stepped forward to expose this unspoken rule is not me, but Tengda Corporation’s Boss Pei!”

“Everyone knows that there are two huge hot topics in the gaming circle recently: One is a lucky draw organized by Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation. The special prize is a car that attracts a large number of players to participate. The other is Tengda Corporation’s new game, ‘Fitness Battle’. It uses a brand new lucky draw model and can be refunded freely.”

“Now, the former’s popularity is obviously higher than the latter. Many players also feel that Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation’s lucky draw activities would be so heavily discounted. They would definitely be more conscientious than the Lucky draw of Fitness Battle.”

“That is obviously wrong!”

“That’s because the lucky draw event of Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation is actually the lucky draw event that I described previously. On the surface, the products are rich, but in reality, they are all the same.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask the ballers to show off their lucky draw records. After deducting the rubbish skins that they don’t want, you can calculate the actual profits and see who earned it.”

“Of course, compared to other black-hearted lucky draw events, this lucky draw might seem very conscientious. However, it’s far from good compared to the lucky draw of ‘Fitness Battle’ !”

“That’s because the lucky draw for the Fitness Combat has completely broken the original regular mode. Players can refund the game at will and only keep the content that they are satisfied with. Thus, the expected value of the lucky draw is no longer negative. While it retains the pleasant surprise brought by the lucky draw, it does not make players slaves to probability.”

“Of course, all of the Virtual Items in the ‘Fitness Battle’ would still be profitable no matter how low the price is.”

“However, what’s important is not the specific price, but the concept that Tengda Corporation conveyed through the lucky draw of the Fitness Battle!”

“The lucky draw can indeed surprise and bring joy to people. That’s human nature. However, more and more merchants and game companies used this mentality to turn the lucky draw into their own money-making tool. They made it normal and reasonable so that players would not realize that their interests were actually damaged.”

“On the other hand, the shopping mall model of ‘Fitness Battle’: All props can be purchased with calorie coins. It encourages players to work out more. Even if it’s a lucky draw, it can be refunded in full so that players would not be reduced to consumer machines driven by desire. It would also not use people’s bad habits to accumulate wealth.”

“The difference between the two is obvious!”

“On top of that, Tengda Corporation has been tirelessly sending benefits to gamers for the event at the 515 Games Festival. What’s more, it’s a real ‘gift’, not a ‘discount’, and not a disguised profit.”

“Tengda has been working hard to create a harmonious relationship with gamers: making products that are worth the price, ensuring that you get what you pay for, not playing with complicated rules and twists, not using all sorts of unorthodox methods to deceive gamers. Instead, it is tirelessly guiding gamers to establish a healthy consumer view!”

“On the other hand, Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation went from IOI’s mobile game to the lucky draw event. No matter how much profit they made, the urge to make money in their hearts is still traceable.”

“This difference in ideology is the biggest gap between the two companies!”

“That car will definitely be taken away by a certain baller in the end, and this baller will definitely charge more than 100,000 yuan. After this baller draws the car, Finger Games and Long Yu Corporation will definitely make use of the topic to hype it up, using this case to prove how kind their lucky draw is.”

“However, in fact, this is all part of the usual process that has been arranged: use a small portion of the godd*mn lucky winners to incite most players, and let the rest pay for it. The game company will profit from this.”

“At the end of the video, I would like to remind the audience that there are risks in the lucky draw, and that you have to be cautious when charging. This is not empty talk, because as long as it is a regular lucky draw, it would definitely be an investment with negative expectations. That is not a wise move.”

“If you really want to draw, you should come to ‘Fitness Battle’ to draw props to satisfy your cravings. After all, you can still refund the game freely. There won’t be any losses!”