when did it become a thing that people solely like a piece of media for the characters and nothing else? i consider that an early 2010s tumblr thing but it was very clearly happening in japan since it led to the rise of gacha gaming

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when did it become a thing that people solely like a piece of media for the characters and nothing else? i consider that an early 2010s tumblr thing but it was very clearly happening in japan since it led to the rise of gacha gaming