Anyone who plays games and gambles online must have noticed how the casino experience has changed. To be specific, there are gambling mini-games now that were obviously inspired by old-school arcades or popular mobile apps. If you played Frogger as a kid, you’ve noticed how Chicken Road 2 has some striking similarities with that game, but it’s still designed around RNG rather than skill. Other examples of gambling arcades that borrow from iconic titles are Minesweeper, Dino (Crash), The Fishing Kingdom, and the list goes on.
While newer casino experiences are definitely inspired by popular video games, they still need to rely heavily on the element of randomness. In other words, player agency is kept to a minimum. So, let’s see how gaming studios have influenced the casino industry, even if they are drastically different on a fundamental level.
Game Mechanics
While core mechanics that emphasize player skill cannot be directly implemented into casino games, another integral feature can. That is the difficulty setting. Modern games have modes where progression is more difficult, but the rewards you get are significantly better. This works great with certain casino games like Chicken Road. Here, players can increase the difficulty and make it less likely for the Chicken to survive the next step. However, for each successful step they take, the multipliers on their stake become noticeably bigger.
Just like with regular video games, playing on an increased difficulty setting requires more caution. So, it is always wiser to use smaller stakes. This is why $5 deposit casino nz sites are ideal for gamblers who love these mini-games. They allow small deposits, which means you will have a limited balance and will have to figure out how to spend it frugally. Playing on hard mode while only staking NZ$0.10 is a great way to go about it.
Visual Design
Slots, table games, video poker, and even casino live shows more often than not have strict rules they need to follow in terms of core mechanics. So while there are many versions of slots or poker, the basics are almost always identical. So, there is a big emphasis on visuals in order to make the whole experience more unique. The situation is pretty similar to AAA releases that belong to a certain genre like FPS, MOBA, Battle Royale, etc. There are subtle mechanical and balancing differences, but if you know how to play one genre well, you should figure out how to be good at other titles of the same genre.
In other words, art style or aesthetics play a big role in establishing a game’s identity. We’ve seen how studios don’t shy away from hiring big artist teams just to make sure their release looks sleek. The same trend can be observed in the casino industry, especially with slots. When a topic is popular, like football, you’ll see dozens of slots with that theme. There are several slots themed after Liverpool FC alone, and dozens, if not hundreds, centered around other football teams.
Player Engagement
For a game to be a commercial success, it needs good sales numbers and a strong player base. In other words, the studio needs to advertise it and figure out how to keep players around for a long time, so that the sales don’t fall off. So, studios do all sorts of things to make sure their new title stays relevant.
- Streamers: There are paid sponsorships or partnerships with popular streamers who will play their games for hours and discuss them with their viewers.
- Email marketing: Notifications and updates via email about new patches, reminders to log in, news about virtual dev panels, or live Q&As, etc.
- In-game and/or external progression systems: Even in titles where leveling up isn’t a core feature, players who are active have account level-ups, achievements, or unlock perks/rewards if they are active.
- Giveaways: Studios partner with content creators to create giveaways and award their product for free. This helps them stay relevant.
Modern casino brands use similar, if not identical, tactics. We’ve seen an increased number of content creators or streamers who are playing casino games when they go live. Also, almost all casinos have a VIP program through which they award loyal customers, and promotions and code giveaways are all too common nowadays.
Monetization Models
Some of the most successful games are what we call freemium titles. They don’t earn through sales but rather through in-app purchases, or microtransactions. Again, online casinos employ similar tactics. Anyone who signs up can play a demo version of the slots, blackjack, poker, baccarat, and roulette. The only excpation are live casino shows that don’t have a demo play. Additionally, even small deposits are enough to unlock promotions that award additional spins or bonus funds. In other words, even casual spenders can get significantly more play time.
Technology and Tools
One thing that gaming companies do to increase their sales is optimize releases for different platforms. However, to this day, having a fully balanced and functional cross-platform play is difficult to pull off. Some exceptions are Baldur’s Gate, Hearthstone, Master Duel, or other turn-based games.
Casino software companies don’t have the same struggles; they use HTML5 tech for their games, and they are played via internet browser. In other words, PC, smartphones, and even gaming consoles can run them. One of the main reasons this industry has flourished is the increased accessibility.
Regulation and Adaptation
Both industries encounter regulatory constraints, especially because both have in-app purchases. While gambling has its own separate set of regulations, gaming companies have introduced certain features or mechanics that trespass into the domain of gambling (lootboxes, tradable skins, booster packs, etc.). Casino brands have seen how cosmetics can serve as a powerful incentive, so some of the experiment with NFT rewards and NFT gambling, which are digital assets that can be used to customize one’s account.
Future Impact
Casinos have innovated a lot in the past 2 decades, and the goal was clearly to attract a new generation of players who grew up with arcades and old gaming consoles. That said, current young gamers have their own thing, and often play on VR and other modern hardware. So, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume virtual casinos will eventually become a thing.
