Why Do Recent Console Games Include Features Related To Online Gambling?

Console and online gambling games have a good deal in common and are based on similar technologies. The most significant difference between the two genres is that real-money online gambling games need the player to deposit money with the online casino. Console games are either paid for upfront and downloaded or accessed via a subscription to a cloud-based gaming service.

There is a good deal of cross-over between them, and they often compete in the same space for customers. In the past, they were probably two distinct categories. Console games were played for entertainment only, and anyone wanting to try and win some money would need to go to a physical casino, fruit machine or betting shop.

However, the rise in the popularity and sheer number of online casino games means that console game designers are keen to incorporate some of the elements of chance into the narrative and action of their games. Their casino games were largely simulations of classic games like poker, roulette, craps and twenty-one. However, the studios behind the gambling games were able to learn from the console game developers and introduced elements of video games into the casino titles.

Online pokies, in particular, have much in common with video games. They use similar animation sequences, storytelling, top-end graphic rendering, and catchy, well-produced audio. The production qualities must be high to attract players with spare cash in their bank accounts. Pokies are well-loved because of the thrill of the promise that the player could be just about to bag an enormous jackpot. 

The excitement between the bet being placed and the result appearing is what makes gambling so enthralling. Online casinos have understood this is an area where they can attract customers and keep them coming back. There are thousands of titles to choose from, and some, like Street Fighter, started out as a console game. Sometimes it can be hard to know which one is the best to play, so many people check to see what a review site like Time2Play.com recommends. If you’re looking for where to find the best online casinos, where treats its customers well, or simply a Jackpotcity review, time2play is the place for you.

If the casino games industry has learned from the video games sector, it is certainly not all one-way traffic. Console game developers have always had one eye on the casino business. Some of the earliest incarnations of video games were straight simulations of casino ones. Way back in 1989, Nintendo released Casino Kid for the NES. The game was based on an existing manga franchise called $1,000,000 Kid. The games included were different for the Japanese version than they were for the one released for Western markets.

Casino games have been popular for centuries, so, unsurprisingly, their elements (or full-scale simulations) have been incorporated into console games.  Many people enjoy pitting their wits against a casino croupier or a fellow poker player, so it makes good business sense to include casino games in console game titles. In addition, having casinos in the main run of play in franchises like Yakuza or GTA adds a whole new dimension to the gameplay. 

In Yakuza: Like a Dragon, released in 2020, the casinos must be unlocked for players to take advantage of them.  Not any old player can walk in and play the games within the games. To enter the casino door hidden in the men's toilets, a player has to have Level 4 in Style. It is Confidence that is required for the second casino. Level 4 will be needed to get in by going down a ladder, along a gantry, and to get past the two NPCs blocking the access.

The games' developers know that players want to access these hidden areas and use them to monetize the gameplay. While completing tasks to get to those levels of style or confidence is possible, it is also possible to fork out a little cash to speed up the process. This is why many games, like Fortnite, have loot boxes.

As you can see, the reason why console games include features related to online gambling is not a straightforward answer—the two styles of gameplay feed into each other. Developers might start out working for a video games studio but then go to work for a casino games company. The skill sets are very similar, so the two industries have a flow of ideas and cross-fertilization.

While there are many similarities, there are also a fair few differences between real money gambling and console games. The biggest one is probably around security. While it would be very annoying if a hacker got into a player's FIFA game and changed all the teams and league positions, it would probably only be annoying. Unless, of course, you were a member of an eSports team. However, even the smallest transaction with an online casino could put the player at risk of possible financial scamming and fraud if the proper systems and protocols are not in place. Therefore, online casino sites must have bank-like security, payment protection and account verification. A player might want to gamble on a game or sports fixture, but they will not be betting on someone making off with all their money. 

Security and playing safely are why online gambling is a regulated industry sector and why sites and games have to be licensed. If you are ever playing real money games, make sure you are playing on sites that clearly display their licences.