Player Engagement: Connection Between Online Casino and Console Games

With the growth of social media and Internet platforms, gambling opportunities have increased. But so have the video gaming opportunities. One of the immensely popular forms of gaming, console gaming, that emerged almost three decades ago is also on the rise – despite all the efforts to make smartphones the leader in the industry.

Image source: Pixabay

Digital games increasingly include monetary elements such as microtransactions, making it more difficult to tell the difference between the two. Even if there has been a lot of debating on this subject, one thing cannot be denied – that there are similarities between the two industries. One of the biggest similarities is that they revolve around playing games and that the success behind them hides in the increased number of players.

But how do they do it so well? What are the tools behind the player acquisition, retention and most importantly player engagement in the online casino and console industries? Let’s find out!

The Similarities Between Gaming and Gambling

Gambling is traditionally thought of as a distinct activity from gaming. Console playing has been defined as skill-based, player interaction, and context-based progress and success, whereas gambling involves risk and chance-determined outcomes. Due to technological advances, however, these boundaries have become increasingly blurred.

As a means of generating revenue, digital titles are increasingly using monetary elements, typically microtransactions. A game’s features and equipment can be improved by microtransactions, for example. In addition, “loot boxes” are becoming increasingly common in video games, which mimic the chance-based characteristics of gambling. Loot boxes are virtual goods containing random items and may be bought for real-world money. It all started with Battlefront 2 where they first introduced “loot boxes”. They made up part of the game economy. By utilizing their in-game currency, players can win loot boxes and receive random rewards. One of the best parts was that these rewards could be exchanged for real money.

Playing different titles can actually lead to earning real-world money. People became more interested in Battlefront 2 due to this. Many other companies followed suit. Recent studies have found that buying loot boxes is associated with gambling. In addition, it has been proposed that gaming increases a desire to gamble, due to the similarities between the two.

Image source: Pixabay

Player Engagement Tools in Online Casino and Console Gaming

The connection between online casinos and console player engagement tools might not be that apparent, but they do share some elements. Console titles increasingly include gambling-like features. For example, many titles tend to include bonus rounds, which mimic gambling activities such as:

• Poker
• Roulette
• Slots
• Lottery

Furthermore, even though “free-to-play” features do not initially require players to use real money, they often encourage them to make in-game purchases in order to unlock additional features.

On the other hand, top online casinos in Canada have some player attracting tactics and features that remind us of traditional video games. For example, gamification, special effects and themed design. Still, there are many more strategies these two industries use to work on their player acquisition, retention and engagement.

Community-based Virtual Environments

One of the reasons social media and online communities are so successful is that humans crave social belonging. In an online community, people share social ties, social interactions, and virtual spaces. People with similar interests, goals, and norms form these virtual communities.

Based on the findings, online communities differ in their role in gambling and gaming. Typically, gambling community forums serve as forums for exchanging gambling experiences, strategies, and tips, as well as offering advice to those struggling with gambling issues. On the other hand,

the gaming community is basically a part of the game, making it a vital part of the user experience. A sense of belonging to a virtual community influences player’s behaviour to a great extent. This usually motivates the player to spend more time playing and go through with in-game purchases.

Free Console Gaming and Online Casino Gambling

As consoles became less popular and mobile gaming became more prominent, many players believed trying out fresh titles was a thing of the past. However, Nintendo has decided to reintroduce free gaming, allowing many players to try out games before committing. The same is true for the highly competitive online casino industry, where playing for free online is an established practice. These offers have further evolved from smaller to bigger promotions, which include free wagering money and free spins.

Moreover, the console gaming world gave rise to the freemium business model: restricted but free access to some titles. While some players pay to speed up their progress or alter their character’s appearance, the majority just play for free. And offering something for free has always been an amazing marketing tool.

Music, Sound FX and Graphics

Everything in these two industries, from music to graphics, has become similar. Each aims to engage players to the maximum extent. In recent years, online and video gaming have become extremely popular and captivating, and they continue to increase in popularity. Many video game companies try to incorporate some of the characteristics of casino games, and casino games are adding more features that might interest video game players. Apparently, since gaming and gambling have similarities, the same player engagement tools might work on both.

The Bottom Line

There are similarities between online casino gambling and console playing. Interestingly, what they have in common is that the player engagement hides behind both of these multi-billion industries. Ultimately, they both use similar player engagement tools and it seems that they are doing a really good job. After all, there wouldn’t be 1.6 billion online casino players and over 200 million console gamers all across the world now.