Catering towards specific player bases with a global game
(A Genshin Impact Analysis)
Mara Wearmouth (1080531) & Weilena Liu (1612926)
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Evelyn Annabel (1268508)
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Mara Wearmouth & Weilena Liu
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Samuel Duong (1172949)
Introduction
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Male vs. Female Playerbase
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Cultural appropriation
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Diversity in body types
A Brief Introduction
It's not uncommon for games to be made with a specific audience in mind. It's fundamentally important to recognise the audience that will enjoy the game and to try to maximise their enjoyment. Of course, it's impossible to satisfy everyone. However, when the company ignores or even potentially misconceives what players want in the game, clearly, issues will arise.​
Genshin Impact, created by the Chinese company miHoYo, is such an example. It's a game known to all, and certainly enjoyed by many across the world. Presenting a vibrant world with countless fun quests and characters to engage with- it's no question why the game is so popular. With the recently released region- Natlan- talk surrounding the game is once again at a high.
​​​​​​​​​​​​Of course, criticisms are ever-circulating too, with clear trends appearing in what the community is bringing up. The characters available in the game are starting to feel a little repetitive- the little variation in the body types of the playable characters offered, the disproportional focus between male and female characters, the designs being disrespectful to real-world cultures and the people who belong to those cultures...there's a lot to explore.
This project explores why diversity in the designs of game characters is important, and how a video game like Genshin Impact can orient the game to satisfy a larger number of players.