Pachinko has been one of the shining lights of Japanese gaming culture. For decades, it has been viewed by many outside of Japan as the Land of the Rising Sun’s answer to slot machines.
This pinball-esque arcade game dates back to the early 1900s and has transcended multiple generations to become a major aspect of the nation’s leisure scene. It’s important to get under the skin of Pachinko’s story to understand just why this game continues to endure, captivating Japanese casual gamers and even those further afield.
Even today, Pachinko’s legacy lives on in the iGaming industry as one of the leading scratchcards online available as an on-demand virtual game. The Pachinko-based online scratchcard game powered by Neko Games and Microgaming incorporates elements of the classic Pachinko game, while reaching out to those seeking quick and casual entertainment.
Tracking the roots of Pachinko
The game of Pachinko was inspired by a kid’s toy, known as the “Corinth Game”. It was heavily inspired by the pinball games and machines enjoyed in the west. During the 1930s, Pachinko started to capture the imagination of adults of all ages, with dedicated “parlors” opening up to invite players to visit, play, have a drink, and have fun.
Following the aftermath and recovery of World War II, Pachinko continued to soar in popularity, with its mechanical machines eventually making way for more contemporary and sophisticated models, underpinned by electronics.
The game shares a similar pathway to vintage fruit machines, which initially started out as lever-pull machines and were eventually phased out with video screens and further technological advancements. In fact, Pachinko bears many striking similarities to a slot machine game. Both rely heavily on chance for you to win and they’re each designed with engaging and stimulating audio and visuals to keep you gripped.
It must be said that Pachinko’s gameplay is significantly more interactive than most slot games. After all, the onus is on the player to control how fast the metal balls are loaded into the machine before working their way down the screen into specific prize pockets.
The “Golden Age” of Pachinko
The genuine boom era for the Pachinko industry arrived in the 1990s. During this time, arcade gaming had proliferated across Japan and casual games like Pachinko saw its target demographic grow bigger still, achieving unprecedented levels of profitability. This was driven largely by the economic growth of the 1980s, giving many Japanese households ample disposable income to put to good use on pursuits like Pachinko.
These Pachinko parlors became almost vital components of Japanese popular culture in the 1990s and early 2000s, with over 15,000 venues open across the country at its peak.
The emergence of digital Pachinko machines was a game-changer for these venues too. Visiting a Pachinko parlor almost became a weekly ritual; something you’d do with family or to catch up with friends at the end of a busy working week.
Although the Pachinko market in Japan is worth nowhere near the $300 billion it was said to be worth at its height in 1994, it’s still a big part of the Japanese entertainment scene, which explains why the likes of Sega and Konami remain license holders for some of the leading virtual Pachinko machine games.
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