The PlayStation Advent calendar: Is it really worth the effort? The community takes stock

The PlayStation Advent calendar is a highlight for PlayStation fans every year. With a bit of luck, participants can win high-quality prizes such as consoles, games or gadgets like the PlayStation Portal or the coveted 30th Anniversary Edition. But how high are the chances of winning really, and is it worth investing hundreds or even thousands of tickets? A look at the community discussions reveals frustration and skepticism, but lucky winners also have their say.

860 tickets - a wasted effort?

One player reportedthat he had invested his hard-earned points in 860 tickets for the PlayStation Portal prize draw. Yet he couldn't even find his username in the list of participants. "How many tickets do you really need to win?"he asks himself. This question is not easy to answer, as the algorithm of the prize draw is not disclosed transparently enough.

Many users question the fairness of the system. There are reports of players who have collected hundreds of thousands of points within a day by quickly playing through trophy games. Even though Sony has now introduced a daily limit of 25,000 points for trophies, the inequality between honest players and the so-called "cheaters" remains a mystery.

Another problem is that some participants may manipulate the number of their tickets with the help of external tools or "auto code typers". Honest players feel disadvantaged as a result and doubt the equality of opportunity. One user sums it up: "The game isn't rigged, but it's unfair to those who don't take advantage of the cheat options."

Opportunity to win or illusion?

In theory, you only need one ticket to win. Nevertheless, for many players it seems to be more of a game of chance than a fair competition. Some report that the number of tickets can exceed 50,000 - an amount that normal players can hardly achieve. One user describes: "860 tickets isn't even that much. The big prizes probably cost over 50,000 tickets, and even then the probability is low."

Another comment from the community: The prize draws are just for show. Some players believe that the winners are already known before the animation and that it is merely staged for the audience. This doubt is reinforced by the lack of transparency, but ultimately cannot be proven.

Are there any real winners?

Despite the criticism Reports from real winners. Some players have shared their winnings on social media and emphasize that they have accepted their prizes within the seven days that Sony specifies. Nevertheless, the question remains: is it worth the effort?

The PlayStation Advent calendar is unlikely to offer realistic chances - the probability of winning is extremely low and usually only due to chance, which you can only influence to a limited extent. Rather, it should be seen as a nice, light-hearted activity that should not take up too much of your lifetime. If you win a prize at the end, even if it's just a consolation prize, you can consider yourself lucky. However, from a sober point of view, this calendar is an ingenious advertising campaign that aims to connect users more strongly with the PlayStation brand and to spread their interaction far and wide through mini-games and the like - an advantage that ultimately benefits Sony above all. The highlight this year is of course the 30-year history of PlayStation, which is pure nostalgia for everyone.

You can find the PlayStation calendar under this link.