It’s become well-established that are colors that have become synonymous with certain characters. Be it red for Mario or bright blue for Sonic, some just look right. The same is also true for the color green which, over the years, hasn’t been without its infamous associations.

Probably one of the most prominent instances of the color green appearing in gaming and entertainment stems from its constant association with Microsoft and their Xbox consoles. From the Xbox’s humble beginnings when it was first launched in 2001, the console’s infamous color scheme of black and neon green lit up not only its start screen but also the console’s advertising.

Microsoft even went as far as producing a special translucent green edition of the original Xbox to thank the staff for their work, as well as other green ones for both Halo, and an intriguing partnership with Mountain Dew. As the console generations moved on, Microsoft retained the green coloring, with it being used on the startup screens for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Even with the Series X and S, it has still made its way into the hearts and minds of gamers thanks to green remaining the main color of Xbox’s packaging. 

Moreover, whilst red has become synonymous with Mario, green has also become a key recognizing factor for another one of Nintendo’s most legendary characters, Luigi. The character has been the subject of his own popular games, such as Luigi’s Mansion 3, released for the Nintendo Switch. The reason for Luigi’s viridescence is certainly rather interesting.

The story goes that, whilst the Nintendo dev team were working on the original Mario Bros arcade game, the systems being used at the time had rather limited options for customizing characters and there were limitations on memory. As a result of this, the look of the second character had to be identical to the first, although, in principle, that would mean two of the exact same character. The devs at Nintendo thought the best way to distinguish between them would be to change the color of their clothing and, whilst looking around for inspiration, they referred back to the different colored shells and looked at their color palette, and the combination was then used to create what would become Luigi.

It’s not only in the traditional gaming spheres with arcades and consoles that the color green has become a key part of the imagery. In other areas of entertainment and gaming, such as in the slots online industry, especially considering providers such as Mr. Green, the color is utilized to represent luck and fortune. MrGreen’s website, for example, is kitted out in green elements, including their infamous green-suited mascot. Their site features a variety of different slots, which, themselves, heavily feature color as a well-used technique in the industry.

Much like red and blue before it, green is another one of those colors that conjures up instant associations within gaming spheres. This makes it ideal for other entertainment sectors such as online casinos that can play to the color’s strengths and make great use of it in future ventures.