At this point, despite the ups and downs, it’s safe to say that we are living in the era of live service games. Virtually every big release in recent years has included some kind of season pass or ongoing DLC model, featured in everything from sports titles to strategy games.
Much of this ties into seasonal events, which have been a staple of gaming since even before cable internet, although over time, these events have evolved and changed many times. For this article, we’re taking a look at the surprisingly wide range of seasonal events that are out there.
Short-Term Changes
These are perhaps the oldest form of seasonal events and are usually not linked to any DLC or microtransactions. Typically, these are small adjustments made to a game for a short period to mark a point in the year. The most common types tend to be winter holiday celebrations, which often get costumes and decorations for a week, or events such as Valentine’s Day, which may feature heart or cupid themes around parts of the world.
The most widespread tradition by far is that of April Fool’s Day. Many gamers wake up on April 1st to find that parts of their games have been altered as a prank by developers for the day. This could include bizarre multiplayer game modes replacing regular gameplay, player names all changed to parody versions, or a host of other small things.
Seasonal Contests
Most commonly seen in gacha titles and other online and mobile games that follow the same business model, these are limited-time events that unlock special rewards and unique prizes unavailable during the rest of the year. Those familiar with online casinos may be familiar with this. These sites frequently run events over weeks or weekends, and online casino promotions often take the form of contests or races between players to get the highest spots on the leaderboard. Much like in video gaming, the top-placing players will earn some kind of special bonus.
In some cases, the challenge may be purely a solo one against the clock, whereas some feature a combination of contest and challenge. Each may be themed around a particular time of year, sometimes falling on holidays celebrated in other parts of the world that aren’t in Western calendars.
In-Game World Celebrations
No matter how many real-world events there are to choose from, there will always be gaps in the calendar, and developers are more than happy to invent events to fill them. This is where we start seeing generic events such as summer celebrations, autumn harvest festivals, or the like. There are also holidays and celebrations invented for the in-game world, which serve a similar purpose and which usually come with some kind of monetized content.
As a last note, while not official, there are many played-created events in online games that are celebrated with all the same enthusiasm. Common in RPG games, these can be anything from yearly festivals to huge memorial services for well-known players who have passed.
The list of events out there keeps growing as gaming becomes more and more global, so expect to see those event calendars completely full pretty soon!
