Japanese Man Spends $70,000 on Mobile Game, Regrets Nothing
By Carl Samson
A Japanese man has spent a whopping $70,000 on a mobile game — and he’s not stopping anytime soon.
The man, identified as Daigo, 31, started playing Sony’s Fate/Grand Order (FGO) after it launched in Japan two years ago.
The game allows the player to take on the role of a “master” who summons and commands powerful “servants” to fight enemies. These servants are characters based on both real historical and fictional figures.
“When we played the first chapter, many of us were moved to tears,” Daigo told the Wall Street Journal.
“The story zooms into each character. It makes you feel something for them.
“You want what you love, right?”
The game itself is free-to-play. However, players roll to win new servants, and paying for rolls increases one’s odds of winning.
As such, Daigo uses real-world money to purchase the in-game currency called “Saint Quartz.”
Daigo recalled one time when he bought a character for $500, but because he wanted it to be stronger, he ended up shelling out $2,500.
He admits to playing all the time, except when he’s sleeping, driving or taking a bath.
For players like Daigo, FGO has become Sony’s most profitable game to date. It is set in 2004 Japan, where Chaldea, an organization responsible for observing Earth’s future, discovered a region that was previously unknown.
As the organization assumes that the region will cause humanity’s extinction, it launches an experiment of time travel into the past, where all of the magic happens.
Daigo said that he saved money from doing “stocks and futures.” But when asked about his spending, he would rather forget.
“I don’t like to think about that,” he said.
Daigo recognizes that he has been spending a lot, but justifies that the experience has no difference from other hobbies.
“Some people spend $18 on a movie and feel moved. I’ve spent $70,000 on ‘Fate/Grand Order.’ But it moves me,” he said.
The 31-year-old added that he complies with his parents’ orders:
“If [my parents] ask me, I’ll do the dishes or other cleaning. They don’t know how much I’ve spent on the game. I think it’s fine as long as I’m having fun.”
Featured Images via YouTube / Wall Street Journal
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