Sounds like avocado toast-ian blame-shifting to me. Just like the rest of these pieces, they ignore the obvious, horrible conditions of life, and choose to tut-tut at the abused for 'improperly' using their free time.

just like the avocado toast shit, the translation of these pieces is broadly:

Look away, reader, from the terrible low wages, high cost of living, and soul-crushing work hours japanese people are forced to endure. Focus your attention on these 19% of young people, who don't know any better, who you are better than. Laugh at these losers who admit that one time they almost couldn't cover their expenses!!

Let's look at the article.

Interestingly enough, while these results indicate that the popularity of in-game transactions may be increasing, the average amount of money spent on them is actually decreasing.

Hmm, could it be the actual problem is the immense increases to CoL young (and all) people have been under? I wonder why the article doesn't even bring it up? So curious 🤔

Oh well. So like, how much money are we talking about on gacha? How much are these 19% of young folks spending? Must be a ton eh?

Article doesn't say, but we do get these numbers

In 2024, young people spent an average of around 5,138 yen ($35.85 USD) on microtransactions per month while this year’s survey results state that the average amount of money spent on microtransactions is 4,247 yen ($29.63 USD) per month.

So it's not a lot, not really. I say again, this article is slop created to take your eyes away from the real problems of the world and victim blame the ones suffering under them.

Nothing inside a video game should cost real money.

Ban the entire business model.

Entertainment is a tool for emotional manipulation - usually toward enjoyment. Fiction seeks suspension of disbelief and attachment to completely artificial interests and goals. Charging actual currency for anything under that fiction is an abuse. It's exploiting your brain's fuzzy separation of wants. However much you desire a goal in soccer, it's just a ball going through some posts. It has no economic utility. There is no exchange rate between score and hamburgers.

Maximizing that mistake is the entire driving force of this industry-swallowing abuse. It's half of all revenue. Boycotts don't work. It's in $70, flagship-franchise, single-player games. It costs nothing to add, even in games you already bought. Only legislation will fix this.

Now the usual excuses.

'Just don't pay them.' The entire game is expertly crafted to make you crave whatever they're charging for. Games make you value arbitrary nonsense - that's what makes them games. Gently convincing you over time is the developer's job.

'You want it for free!' You want it 'for free.' I want people to buy games. Like how it worked for forty years straight.

'But servers need money.' This shit's in World Of Warcraft - a subscription MMO. You think Blizzard is hurting?

'But arcades--' were renting someone else's machine. Your own phone doesn't get to charge you a quarter per minute.

'But cosmetics--' are still an engineered desire which can be denied until you pay more money.

'But budgets--' follow revenue, always always always. It has never been easier to make a game. Companies choose to spend millions because they expect to make billions.

'Well it's better value.' This bullshit makes them more money... and they get the money from you... so this "free" bullshit costs you more money. You get it? In no reality should it be possible to pay the price of a whole-ass game for one imaginary hat.