— — — —— — —
×
— —— —
— — — —— — —
×
— —— —
— — — —— — —
×
— —— —
← darkroom
Why do a lot of anime fans like video games?
It's not as obvious now cause Anilist has quieted down so much compared to how it was a year ago, but back then, I noticed almost all my mutuals loved video games just as much as anime (if not more). And in real life, I can say the same for more than half the people I know who watch anime.
I know just cause someone likes one thing it doesn't automatically mean that's why they like another. But to an extent, there is some correlation. So as someone who has 0 interest in video games despite loving anime more than I think I should, I wonder. Why play video games when you're already exposed to a medium that does all the work for you, immediately getting to the point? Especially with how time-consuming games are, only to have players basically just performing the same actions over and over again. If that makes sense.
I get this sounds dumb. Different mediums have different purposes. But the question has a sound ground.
Why is gaming the most common for anime fans? Why not something else, ya know? Why not books? Or other comics? Or live actions? Etc. What makes gaming itself so special?
maybe people who enjoy partaking in digital media also like delving into other mediums of digital entertainment
and maybe because both anime and video games have gotten more widespread ? (i wouldn't say that about video games, i feel as if video games were well-loved by pretty much everyone)
edit:
What makes gaming itself so special?
because video games are fun too ig LOL
ok i was going to elaborate and funny enough
i was playing a video game !
video gaming in general is common mostly because it's interactive i suppose,
Why play video games when in anime everything happens on it's own and it does all the work for you? If that makes sense.
why play sports when you can watch people do it ? because it's fun to do what you want ig, have the freedom to choose what you want to do and how you want to do things
in anime, maybe the mc does something dumb and you can't do anything about it; in some story games, you can choose that
also personally its just fun to go on an adventure ig, esp open world. i can walk over there and check out what's going on and stuff
also maybe they like playing anime games too ? maybe they want to take part in the journey themselves; or at least, through the characters
tl;dr both are fun, but video games are fun and interactive ig
i do not know im an anime fan and i love videogames books comics almost the same amount
almost everyone games, I don't see why anime fans would be an exception
[Removed]
for me personally
i've met a lotttttttt of people who play video games and have no interest in anime at all, both offline and online
the only real, general correlation i see is that they're both digital mediums
also i didn't see you edited the main thread body but
Especially with how time-consuming games are, only to have players basically just performing the same actions over and over again. If that makes sense.
i see where you're coming from but here are different types of games
some games are meant to be ones where you sit down and play for a couple minutes, some are multiplayer games just to kill time, some are long adventures
but i feel like p much a lot of things in general is doing things over and over again ? which, if it is fun, why we come back and do it again, whether it be watch another anime episode or play through a bit of another game
i see where you're coming from but here are different types of games. some games are meant to be ones where you sit down and play for a couple minutes
This.
I only play solitare these days cuz I dont have time for longer games
I guess it boils down to three concrete reasons:
1) Target audience: Anime and Gaming are both predominantly targeted towards young males, even though the audience for both got broader in recent years.
2) Internet culture: Gaming and Anime both have a pretty long standing history of being consumed via online means while stuff like watching live-action or other "classic" media were confined to television or cinemas before the age of streaming.
3) Similarities of the content: And last, both media often share similar styles (CGI, "Anime"-style, etc.) and themes (mostly fantasy settings) so if you enjoy one you're likely to enjoy the other aswell.
But as you noticed yourself, the strength of this link will diminish over time as the audiences of both Gaming and Anime gain in width.
I read, watch anime and play games. The enjoyability boils down to personal preference. Gaming and anime are two of the most popular forms of entertainment. In a digital age, people are less inclined to find entertainment in reading books or playing outside. From what I've seen, most of the people that watch anime including myself are dopamine addicts. Gaming offers the same thing.
What makes gaming itself so special?
Well you have to find the answer for yourself by playing some good games (specially some open world games). For me personally (although I don't play anymore), the interactive aspect is what makes it so addicting. And most of the games now are multiplayer; you can get together and bond with your friends online through games. Some of the best people I've met are through games. Some people even get addicted to the competitive nature of multiplayer games. But here's the thing, by the structure of your question, I get the sense that you think that gaming is second to anime or something (correct me if I'm wrong though). Gaming is much bigger than anime. It was popular worldwide way before anime got the global recognition it has now, and it has a bigger target audience. So the real question we should be asking is why people that game also watch anime I guess.
As for live actions... Those are garbage and a disrespect to the source material. I've never seen a good live action adaptation (if that was what you are referring to) of anime except the Gintama one.
Why play video games when you're already exposed to a medium that does all the work for you, immediately getting to the point?
What?
[Removed]
Sorry, it's just one of the strangest things I've ever read haha
[Removed]
lol well anyway, someone already said, but the answer to your question is that they both generally cater to young men
i think it's less an issue of these two media appealing to the same audiences (inherently) and more that the subcultures related to these two media - in the west at least - have been intertwined basically since their inception
why is gaming the most common for anime fans? Why not something else, ya know? Why not books? Or other comics? Or live actions? Etc. What makes gaming itself so special?
Actually, this depends on region.
In Japan and other East Asia+SEA countries, it's common to see people in anime fandom also partaking in Japanese idol, live-action dorama, tokusatsu, military, or anything related to wider aspect of otaku culture.
Basically anything on this chart:
In Chinese-speaking countries, animation+comic+game are one fandom, with name as ACG fandom. Though, people who claim as part of ACG fandom are usually tend to Japanese-media centric, roughly same as Western anime fandom but with wider aspect of otaku culture.
If you go check Chinese anime tracking site Bangumi, they also include comic, game, novel, live-action (including tokusatsu), artbook, etc because it's part of their fandom.
[Removed]
The origin of otaku culture is actually intertwined with military, train maniacs, and science fiction nerd (kind of Godzilla and stuff). In fact, the earliest anime club in Japan are from amateur radio and train enthusast! Both amateur radio and train enthusiast already growing in Japan as early as 1930s.
In my country, Indonesia, one of the biggest otaku community (which has industry connection) also includes idols, trains, and military as part of their coverage.
Local Japanese-Indonesian idol, JKT48, used to have offiicial collaboration with Aikatsu (popular game-anime-trading card franchise by Bandai Namco).These ascpects never reach Western fandom due to a lot of cultural difference :((
The only way you can find significant non-private community in English fandom are on small niche fandom or 4chan /jp/.4chan /jp/ (Otaku culture board) itself. includes otaku culture aspects such as Vocaloid, gravure (model photos and bikinis), Japanese idol, etc.
Also, let me show you how good Chinese tracking site is. Relationship data for Death Note manga entry: not just anime and manga, but also live-action, novel, game, artbook, etc.
Feel like you're digging too deep into this.
As someone who likes both, it has to do with how one is exposed to it.
If you're exposed to both positively at a young age like I was, you'll lean to enjoying both. For example, my brother and I spent our Saturday nights together watching Yuu Yuu Hakusho on Toonami back when that was a thing. Then I discovered Naruto, and my love for anime kinda just exploded from there.
Game wise: I spent a lot of time playing shooters with my cousin. Me and her spent hours into the night on FPS zombie games when I was young, it was also another hobby I played random genres with my brother too.
All in all, exposure in a certain manner is what leads to one liking both anime and games.
I think if you play games with other people, you meet people that like anime and talks about the show more easily than in the real world. They won't be judged about their hobby in internet.Anime is being passed around more easily in the gamer community by people telling their friends to watch a show called x and then they do it and start spending more time with anime.
So yeah, i think it comes to having a better way do pass around anime shows with your internet friend who play with you than with the people that would might judge you for your liking in anime or even with video games.
Let see Cross-media appeal, I mean how many video game get anime adaptations? Probably a lot. Ever heard of the term, media mix? It's not exclusive to Japan, I've seen South Korea doing this too with their K-pop, K-drama, & webtoon/manhwa. But I'll stick to anime and video game since this is the topic.
If you want to know how media mix work, I have a documentary on how SEGA did the media mix with one of the property. How many of you know this anime series:
Yep, SEGA did this for 2 of the titles I mentioned, here's the 2 video I want you all to watch, it's very informative!!!
You can bulk edit the status by going to your list, clicking the “three dots” menu on the top right, then choosing “bulk edit” and selecting the entries you want to change.
I think it's just the kind of immersive escapism both anime and games offer — they scratch a similar itch. A lot of anime fans love the world-building, characters, and action, and video games let you actually interact with all that instead of just watching. It’s like taking the next step from “what if I was in that world” to “now I am.”
Plus, gaming culture and anime culture kind of grew up side-by-side — conventions, fan art, even the aesthetics. Not to mention how many games are anime-inspired or have that JRPG vibe.
And yeah, some players take it even further, trying stuff like undetectable link Warzone cheats just to push the limits or explore the game differently. I guess that drive to go beyond the usual, whether in anime or games, is part of the appeal too.
