Why I Won’t Be Playing Genshin Impact

Warning: The following article may contain links to videos that may contain strong language. Reader’s discretion is advised.

Really, the title of this article speaks for itself. The fact that I might feel obligated to tell people the why is on the frustrating side. Nonetheless, Genshin Impact is the most recent release from developer and publisher miHoYo. The developer, previously known for its mobile games, has seen enough of a surge in popularity lately that I feel compelled to give an unequivocal answer.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: “but it’s free. You don’t have to spend money. It’s got plenty of content without spending anything and you know people who are having fun without paying a cent.” Good for them (maybe, ostensibly) but, not to put too dramatic a point on it, I think those lines of argument have the potential to be incredibly dangerous. Not least when they come from people with a public platform, like the Twitch streamers, among whom the game has become popular lately.

What’s frustrating here is that several of these streamers are folks I like and respect, folks I regularly tune into. So having to avoid giving them support any day that they’re streaming Genshin Impact is frustrating and even disappointing. It’s led me into spending a lot of time thinking about the weird loyalty we feel to our favorite streamers, too. When I tune back in for a game that isn’t a danger to me, I have to sit on my hands until the urge to apologize for a lack of support fades.

I digress. The point is that, though Genshin Impact‘s website happily and proudly describes itself as “an epic fantasy adventure,” promising “an immersive single-player campaign.” While quietly tucking its nature as a gacha game away from any obvious explanation or understanding.

I only realized what it was by innocently watching one of my favorite streamers play. Then, right on cue, I was watching him grow genuinely dismayed when he didn’t pull the characters he was hoping for from the free iteration of the game. I then had to quickly make my excuses, and go do something else.

Now, I have a good amount of mental and emotional space for free-to-play games; that is, once I find ones that suit my interests and offer an experience I can feel comfortable with. Gaming is an expensive hobby as it is, and (for full disclosure) I currently work a minimum wage job.

That is exactly the reason that games, such as Genshin Impact, that tug your emotional strings to encourage you to spend money are a problem. They want you to spend money that you don’t have, to get the gameplay experience you think you should get. These are games I can’t be getting involved with.

I simply can’t afford them. Not just financially, although that’s a big part of it, but psychologically, too. The amount of anxiety I already have about credit card debts and whether or not I can afford lunch on a given workday weighs on me heavily. That’s before gaming companies start playing on my FOMO, my questionable impulse control, or my history of addictive behaviors by coaxing me into what are (to put it bluntly) gambling mechanics.

It’s frustrating, and to then see other gamers and content creators that I trust and feel comfortable with propping this gaming model up uncritically is hurtful in a way. I’m struggling to make sense of it. To see them doing this without considering that there are likely people in their communities and audiences for whom it could be and is dangerous, is a bit difficult to reconcile.

In short, then: No, I won’t be playing Genshin Impact. Though I’m going to have to keep repeating that to myself every time I feel the itch to jump on the bandwagon. Meanwhile, though I’ve neatly avoided responding in any direction when it has come up in conversation until now, I’m getting increasingly inclined to link anyone to this article next time someone brings it up around me.

Until this trend fades I’ll be over here, reminding myself that folks encouraging me and other gamers like me into getting on board may not have my best interests at heart. Furthermore, I’ll be playing games that aren’t trying to take advantage of my goodwill.