When you think of gamers, you may not always think of stylish individuals who like to keep up with the latest trends or care about designer labels. Although the gaming and fashion industries are often kept separate in the eyes of popular culture, you’d be wrong to think that fashion doesn’t impact the gaming industry. In fact, the two industries are very closely bound together.
Fashion is not only used as a way to attract new gamers to a new game with the use of aesthetics, but game developers have been able to take their work out of the digital realm and into a physical being through collaborations with major fashion houses. In this article, we’ll be exploring the world of gaming and how it’s influenced by fashion.
The Rapid Growth of Gaming in Popular Culture
Gaming has always been an extremely important part of the cultural and creative industries. Even when we were just restrained to playing physical board games in a room with our friends, you can’t deny the influence that the gaming industry has always had on us. But in the past few decades, gaming has taken on a whole new meaning, largely down to the emergence of new technologies. With the growth of blockchain, convenient payments have been facilitated within online crypto casino games, just like artificial intelligence has allowed gaming developers to create more immersive experiences for an army of ever-engaged worldwide gamers.
Similarly, more people are playing games on their mobile phones or on the go, which has created an always-connected audience of fans who are willing to log into their favorite games at any time, no matter where they are.
But what does fashion have to do with all of this? As the gaming industry has evolved, the role that fashion plays in it has taken on a whole new meaning, which we’ll continue to explore.
Fashion Brings Style to Online Games
We all know that the clothes we wear can completely change the way we see ourselves. If we wear a well-fitting suit walking into an important meeting, we’re more likely to feel confident and powerful. Similarly, if we go out on a date in our favorite dress we will also feel more like ourselves and ready to impress. The same thinking applies even when you’re logging on to an online game.
In live dealer games, even in more beginner-friendly casinos, fashion can have a big impact on the way that players view the live dealer. If the dealer is dressed in a sophisticated and professional manner, players are more likely to take them seriously. It will also make them feel like they’re playing in a smart casino, rather than just sitting in their bedroom.
In other online games, players have the chance to pick out their own outfits and express themselves even if they’re not going to be on camera. Take games like Sims or Fortnite, where players are able to choose their outfits, which can have a big impact on how other players view them.
Fashion Plays an Important Role in Online Gaming Marketing
Although the gaming industry is currently expected to be valued somewhere in the realm of $321 billion by 2026, you may think that they don’t need to worry so much about advertising anymore. But, with the saturation of the market, it can become difficult for individual games to stand out among their competitors and make a name for themselves – to do this, they rely on the power of marketing.
In marketing materials for online games, fashion can play an important role in conveying a sense of glitz and glamour that will attract more players to the game. The luxurious image that game developers want to portray to potential players cannot be achieved by someone just wearing their pajamas, they want men in expensive suits, women in eye-catching jewelry, and other sophisticated players who seem to have their lives improved by playing a particular online game.
Transcending The Digital Realm With Smart Collaborations
Another area that has proved lucrative for both games and fashion brands has been collaborations. This helps games to break away from the confines of the digital world and create physical merchandise that players can buy – and wear while they’re playing.
A good example of a game that has had multiple fashion collaborations is Animal Crossing. The cozy game that is simple but engaging has had its fair share of IRL partnerships, including with the likes of fashion giant H&M and luxe jewelry retailer Pandora. Both collaborations proved hugely successful for both the game and the fashion brand, proving that when these two industries come together, it can be a very profitable endeavor.
Other great examples of fashion collaborations are Fortnite with Balenciago, Roblox, and Gucci, and Burberry with Honor of Kings.
