Genshin Impact Thoughts I - What is Genshin Impact?

Hello! Welcome to the first of five write ups, in which I share my experiences and thoughts on a game that has captivated me in a way few have: Genshin Impact. Coming out of nowhere, over the past six months I have fallen head over heels in love with this game, no doubt it will go down as one of my favorites. But of course, the question is: why? What it is about this game that makes it so interesting? What of its many obvious problems, chief among them being its gacha mechanics? I plan to share my thoughts on all that and more in this series of short write ups covering Genshin Impact. Without further ado, let’s begin!

Introduction: What is Genshin Impact?

Answering this question reveals part of what makes this game so special. I have heard it referred to as the first of its kind, the first ever triple A gacha game. What this means, is that this is a free to play game with gacha mechanics in which you gamble for characters and items. You can spend whatever you want on the game, and its predatory mechanics are something to be on the look out for.

At the same time, these types of games, which populate mobile games, are usually of a lesser quality then console and PC games, at least from a presentation standpoint. Genshin Impact however, has the budget of a fully fledged PC or console game. There is a reason why it is most often compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the largest and most interesting console games to release in the past decade. When you look at how large its world is, how many characters there are, and how beautiful it looks and sounds, you will be stunned that this game is free.

Genshin Impact is a new kind of game, one that heads into uncharted territory from having the budget of the best of the best video games on consoles and PC, yet also being free, open to all, and even playable on phones. It brings into question so many long held beliefs about what makes a mobile game, a free to play game, a console game, etc.

This is one of the reasons I’ve spent so many nights thinking and discussing Genshin Impact, because it has made me confront many of my long held biases. Are mobile games really inherently worse than console and PC games? Can a game with hundreds of hours of content be free to play? Are gacha mechanics worth it?

Now that last one should raise an eyebrow, but it shows how Genshin Impact can really leave an impression on its players, and help explain why the game has been such a hit. It’s free, anyone can play it, on a phone, on a computer, or on a playstation 4 or 5. Despite all that, it feels like it should be costing as much as the biggest and best console and PC games, it’s incredible. Playing it for the first time was mind blowing, and sometimes I still can’t believe this game is free and can be played on a phone. It’s bonkers.

That's it for part one, a short introduction to be sure. Stay tuned for the next one!