Are Online Games Borrowing Ideas From Japanese Gaming Culture?
We are beginning to see a lot of Japanese culture make its way into the Western world, such as certain foods that people may not be accustomed to or different forms of games that have largely gone over our heads. This influence is slowly beginning to make itself apparent in Western gaming culture, especially in online casinos. Below, we take a look at the inspiration Western online casinos have taken from Japanese gaming culture.
Sound design
A lot of Western games have borrowed some ideas from Japanese sound design within their video games, especially online casinos. Generally, Japanese games have very intense sound design, which can be somewhat overstimulating to some. The soundtrack will often relate to what is happening onscreen at the same time, which can also be incredibly engaging for some players. Having constant audio stimulation can really help a game go from something you may just play once to a title that you keep coming back to.
This parallel between online casinos and Japanese gaming culture in this sense is very obvious when you directly compare the two. The similarities certainly do not end there.
Gaming review culture
Something that Western online casinos have borrowed from Japanese gaming culture, which may seem a bit out of left field, is the notion of video game reviews. Reviews have been a global affair for a long time, but the likelihood is that this consumer-oriented way of presenting different games critically originated from Japanese gaming culture.
This critical and consumer-driven way of presenting a review has become incredibly popular in the online casino industry. This way of looking at the consumer was pioneered by the excellent customer service offered in Japan. Most players will research different online casinos reviewed by players and gambling experts before they dive into any particular one, which can certainly be attributed to a degree to input from Japanese culture. Reviews have improved online gambling experiences all around the globe, as they provide access to much more information about any given online casino and whether it will be a fit for the reader or not.
Visual direction
Along with having a strong link with Japanese sound design, online casinos also borrow a lot visually from them. This is probably best seen within the shoot ‘em up genre that Japan pioneered, which features interesting villains to interact with. There is always something exciting going on, and the player needs to be constantly engaged to succeed.
The links between this genre and online casinos are rather clear. Online casinos have implemented a visual style that is incredibly engaging, with bright, moving visuals being commonplace. These visuals allow players to be constantly entertained and engaged.
This is not the only example of where online casinos have borrowed from Japanese games in a visual sense. You can even make the connection in a genre that may seem a little bit out of the picture — horror. Japan is rather famous for its horror games, having produced two of the most popular horror game series ever: Silent Hill and Resident Evil.
You may be thinking to yourself, how on earth have online casinos borrowed from horror games? It involves the way those games approach the visuals of the gameplay, rather than the actual themes. This can be the feedback you get when defeating a foe or the score you get at the end of a level, as both influences can be seen within online casinos.
The anime aesthetic
There is no denying that anime has made its way into Western culture over the past few decades, and online casinos are no exception. You can clearly see the influence that anime culture has had on them, especially when it comes to the vibrant symbols that online slot machines incorporate to help engage the player.
However, the anime influence can be seen in a lot of different projects, including movies, video games and music. This is likely because anime often uses bright colors and fast-moving action, which is sure to engage its audience.
Visual storytelling
Something Japanese video games have become well known for in recent years is storytelling through a visual medium without the need for narratives. As a result, the gamer can infer what they want from the story through visual context clues and world-building. This form of storytelling has proven to be very popular among gamers of all kinds, as they need to come together to try and piece together the wider narrative of the game.
This can also be seen within online casino games, which generally never have any kind of in-depth narrative you can follow. Frequently, you will find pieces of world-building within them, along with context clues that can help develop a fuller picture of the world.
Conclusion
Overall, western gaming culture has borrowed a lot of ideas from Japanese gaming culture. Many of your favorite games likely came out of Japan, as the Zelda and Mario games have all been made by Japanese game developers. The development of those intellectual properties has been somewhat integral to the overall Western gaming culture, including online casinos.
The influence of Japanese gaming culture on online casinos has led to them having a much wider appeal, as the barrier to entry is much lower than it was before, with exciting graphics, engaging sound design and intriguing art. Anyone can hop onto an online casino and have a great time.