There is a long history between gambling and video games. Many titles include some mini games that rely on gambling, some games are only focused on gambling but have no microtransactions, and the others are simply online casino games. There is a wide variety of games that include casinos, and, in this article, we will see how it is growing, and if it’s a good thing or not.
How Gambling in Video Games Works?
In most games that aren’t focused on gambling as the main feature, it is often included as a mini game. Most often it allows you to gamble your in-game money and win big by doing so, by just multiplying your cash.
On the other hand, there are plenty of online games, pokies, and crypto slots, that are solely focused on that aspect of gameplay, and allow you to earn real money in the form of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum like Joe Fortune Australia for example that offers hundreds of varied games with different themes.
Examples of Gambling in AAA Games
Some of the biggest AAA games that include gambling are of course GTA V. Even though, the main single-player game did not include many ways to gamble your funds, GTA Online offers a lot with its dedicated expansion called Diamond Casino and Resort. It was a part of a huge update to GTA Online released in July 2019.
It added a whole new location, a casino, dedicated to various gambling games. These include Three Card Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, Slot Machines, Inside Track, and Lucky Wheel. You can go into the casino, and bet your money earned by playing GTA Online and bet on various things. The best thing is that you do not need to spend any real-life money to enjoy these gambling games, if you are a casual player.
Three Card Poker and Blackjack follow the standard rules, you can play these card games with NPCs, bet, and multiply your money if you are lucky. Roulette is another classic that works familiar to its real-life counterpart. Slot machines are very straightforward, you just pull the lever and hope for the best. Inside track is all about betting on horse races. You can participate solo, as well as against other players. Lucky wheel, as the name suggests, is just simply spinning the wheel. You also have a chance to win an in-game car.
While creating Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar also added Poker and Blackjack, that fit perfectly to the western theme the game presents. You can play against familiar and strange NPCs and make generally small bets. The AI is fairly good in this game, so it is not as easy to win.
There are also other forms of gambling like in the Borderlands franchise. There you only have slot machines, where you spend your in-game money. However, you do not gamble for money only. It is only one of the prizes. Most of the time you just want to get the best weapons possible. These slot machines have a chance to give you weapons of any rarity in the game, as well as give you some of the money back, or Eridium which is another in-game currency in the form of purple crystals.
Diablo 3 also offers a trader, where you can spend your crystals gathered in Greater Rifts and get a random piece of equipment with a chance of getting a Legendary, Unique, or Set gear. That chance is what drives players to trade the crystal for a chance of getting that look they’ve been craving for.
How is Gambling Growing in Video Games?
Because gambling mechanics aren’t anything new in Video Games, they have been widely accepted by the player base, they add either a good activity to do in a single-player game, or a fun activity to do with friends in online games. In addition, it gives a nice incentive to play the game more to earn money to gamble it for a chance of getting something nice like a piece of legendary gear.
It is also proven in games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive where players can purchase chests and keys for real-life money and gamble for loot. It is a widely known concept of loot boxes, and it is something that gives players a huge euphoria when they get what they want. Many game developers also tweak the odds in your favor, meaning if there is a chance of a drop of 10%, every time you do not get it increases, even though you do not know that so you will feel lucky and rewarded, the unluckier you are.
How Does it Influence Players?
Gambling in Video Games is often a positive addition if done correctly. Not every game is suitable for loot boxes but thought-out games that are fitting to the game’s theme are a great addition and allow you to play with your luck and get rewarded for the time and effort put into the game. Considering all trends, more games can be expected to include some type of gambling mechanic, either usual slot machines or more intricate mechanics involving RNG that allow players to gamble their in-game funds.
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