The relationship between video games and online gambling
The rise of smartphone gaming as a pastime for people of all ages has led to a surge in popularity for online casinos. With every new technological development, the games that they offer have become more complex and engaging, as they look to attract both traditional gambling enthusiasts and the younger generation of video gamers.
A look at the sheer number of online gambling sites listed on databases such as https://www.thecasinodb.com/new-casino-sites illustrates just how crowded and competitive a market this has become, and demonstrates the rationale behind every site looking to bring a new angle to the casino experience.
But do not be fooled into thinking that combining gambling with video games is an entirely new innovation. As the following examples show, there have been plenty of games over the years that have tapped into our inherent love of a wager to make their games more engaging.
Final fantasy
One of the most successful franchises in gaming history, every one of us must have played one version or another since Final Fantasy first appeared in 1987.
Final Fantasy VIII was the last version to be released prior to the new millennium and features Triple Triad, a gambling card game in which you compete with the AI over a 3×3 grid, and the player with the highest value cards walks away with the prize.
The Wild Bunch
Back in the 1980s, Firebird released this highly addictive wild west game for the Amstrad and Spectrum. Accused of a murder you didn’t commit, the object is to travel from town to town, seeking out the real culprit and bringing him to justice. To accumulate those wild west essentials, such as bullets, whisky and snakebite medicine, you can accumulate money by playing cards with the town gambler. This game introduced a whole generation to the rudiments of poker.
Watch Dogs
To bring things up to date, Watch Dogs was an enormously popular action adventure game that came out in 2014. Players loved the depth and variety of the missions, and the poker tables dotted around the virtual world provided some welcome respite from the full-on action, while also giving you the opportunity to improve your bankroll.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Released in 2015, this complex role-playing action game shot to the top of the gaming charts and remains hugely popular today. Gwent is a card-based game-within-a-game that plays a key role in the overall story arc, and has generated plenty of online discussion and strategy tips in its own right.
Fallout New Vegas
This hugely atmospheric game, set in a post-apocalyptic world, features some haunting scenes and cutting edge graphics. On top of that, you get to play some of the best casino
games in a cut throat future where you need to keep your wits about you and cheat better than the opposition in order to survive. This game has it all, and is what blending the classic video gaming experience with our new found love for gambling should be all about.
