In the short history of digital interactive entertainment, there were originally just a few countries that created the most popular media. Japan, America, and the UK made up the majority, where only a few standouts would arrive from outside of these centers. Following the new millennium, however, this former standard has been thrown by the wayside. Today, many countries outside of the big three have pronounced effects on the entire interactive entertainment industry, and nowhere is this as true as it is with China.
An Expansion of iGaming
As far as recorded history tells, China was the first country to have its people engage in some form of mainstream gambling. Today, in the internet age, China’s immense population, singular set of regulations, and rapidly growing online infrastructure have made it an invaluable target for iGaming establishments. Aside from the casinos themselves, players are similarly afforded access thanks to comparison websites such as casinotopsonline.com/zh, that measure the likes ratings, bonuses, and payment types. With more players going online by the year, China represents one of the world’s most important iGaming ecosystems.
The Video Game Equation
The other side of the digital interactive entertainment coin comes from the landscape of video games. Like with casino gaming, the size of the Chinese market makes it a prime target for exploration, but gaming also sees China’s involvement take on step further. Despite a slow start, China’s publishing and now developing companies in video games are some of the most popular in the world.
Perhaps the most important first step here in the worldwide gaming market came in 2011 when American developer Riot Games was acquired by Chinese conglomerate Tencent. Riot Games was already a popular name in gaming thanks to its 2009 release of MOBA superhit League of Legends. Even now, more than ten years later, LoL finds itself as one of the most popular and commercially successful eSports titles of all time. This paved the way for Tencent and made others in China raise their heads to the possibilities that video gaming represented.
As of 2022, Tencent is the biggest video game company in the world, surpassing the likes of EA, Ubisoft, and console manufacturers. Acquiring stakes in Epic Games, Supercell, Grinding Gear Games, and many more, China now wields considerable power from a managerial standpoint. More recently, this knowledge has also manifested in an increasing number of fantastically well-received games developed within China’s borders.
Again in the current day, titles like Genshin Impact and Dyson Sphere Program have been revolutionary in their genres, raising the bar to a level many more established companies have had trouble matching. If this trajectory continues, and there’s reason to think it won’t, then the gaming arena a few years from now could have not just another major name, but a new dominant force.
Though China’s continued growth in interactive entertainment is all but inevitable, a more relevant question to our readers is whether or not this is a good thing for them. After all, interactive entertainment is about tastes, and not all genres and styles appeal to all players. While an industry like casinos might be universally appreciated, the anime stylings in video games as China and Japan tend towards are more esoteric. At least, if nothing else, greater competition should hopefully drive innovation in an industry that remains all too often stagnant.
