How Modern Entertainment in Wales Has Been Inspired By Global Culture

Welsh culture remains as strong as ever, in recent years we’ve seen many other types of entertainment becoming popular in Wales. It’s worth taking a moment to consider how global culture has inspired us to try other ways of being entertained. 

The Links Between Wales and Japan

The twinning of Conwy Castle with Japan’s Himeji Castle in Hyogo is just one example of the links between these countries. In this case, the twinning ceremony was carried out to celebrate the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and encourage tourism between the nations. The Modern Art Museum of Japan is also partnered by Amgueddfa Cymru – the National Museum of Wales, meaning that both museums have arranged exhibits showing the culture of the other country for visitors to enjoy.

Japan-inspired entertainment can also be explored through the TV shows and games now available online. Monkey, Iron Chef, and Takeshi’s Castle have all been popular in the UK in the past but streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video now allow us to see more Japanese productions. Plinko Go at Paddy Power is an example of a new type of game partially inspired by the classic pachinko. Players watch a ball drop from the top of the screen and wait to see the prize they could win. It was created by 1×2 Network and lets players drop up to 99 balls at once.

North American Sports 

Sports like rugby and football have been popular in Wales for many years, but the Deeside Dragons let us enjoy a sport that’s a lot newer here. This ice hockey club was founded in 2012 and they won the North League championship just a few years after that. It’s been reported by the Leader that the Dragons are capable of beating anyone this season and have strung together an impressive winning run.

The American style of football – also known as gridiron – has never managed to gain widespread popularity in the UK. However, the South Wales Warriors are based at the Llanharan rugby club in Mid Glamorgan and compete in the SFC 1 West league organised by the British American Football Association.

Paintball and Other Outdoor Activities

The history of paintball can be traced back to the second half of the 20th century when sporting goods retailer Bob Gurnsey and some friends worked out the rules. The first official game was played in New Hampshire but it’s now become a global game. With several paintball centres across Wales, it’s now easy to play this outdoor adventure game close to home.

Kitesurfing is another adventurous outdoor sport that’s taken hold in Wales. It can be carried out in places like Rhyl, Porthmadog and Anglesey. Inventors were trying different ways of kitesurfing in Germany, the Netherlands and elsewhere in the 1970s, while a pair of French brothers called Legaignoux had a breakthrough in creating an inflatable kite in the 1980s. All of this makes it one of the most global activities currently enjoyed in Wales.

As influences from across the planet become easier to discover and carry out locally, we can expect to see more entertainment options like these taking hold in Wales.

[Main photo: “Pachinko machines” (CC BY 2.0) by AKX]