Can Console Games Attract Casino Players and Vice Versa?

Console game developers have often looked towards the casino gaming market to attract new players to their consoles. But there has always been something lacking in the subsequent titles that have been released.

The problem with simulations

The main problem for console developers is that their casino-based games have always been simulations when in reality, serious casino players prefer the features and benefits of real games. There are players who enjoy playing casino simulations rather than the real thing, often as a break from the intense world of console gaming, but their numbers are limited.

So we have serious casino game and poker players on one side and hard-core gamers on the other and there seems to be no way of bringing these two audiences together.

Previous X-box titles

Pure Hold’em: Full House Poker was released on the Xbox One and provided a decent poker gaming experience for the genre. The game featured interactive multi-player options and tournament poker, and the graphics were excellent. As poker simulations go, the developers made a great job of releasing a polished product but the underlying issues remained.

Prominence Poker was another title that made a great attempt to make a simple simulation game more interesting. It featured amazing graphics and an assortment of underground gambling dens for players to visit on their way to grabbing the virtual pot.

Slots and table games

While poker offers some ways to be creative with simulation titles - Red Dead Redemption’s poker side-story being a prime example - and involves an element of skill that may appeal to gamers, the thrill of real slot and casino games are hard to transfer to the console platform.

Players who enjoy spinning slots love the in-game features and gambling elements. The theme and design of the game are secondary to the prospect of earning free spins and bonus rounds by matching the special symbols. This is borne out by the fact casino players seek out slots free spins to boost their chances of progressing. Similar to the feeling of opening up loot boxes or accessing bonus side quests (for example, the moments spent at the gambling table in Red Dead) in RPGs and narrative-based video gaming.

Gamification of online casinos

Likewise, casinocasino games. The concept of completing levels and earning power-ups etc. are starting to creep into casino gaming. It seems that the attempts to bridge these two worlds is an ongoing challenge for developers.

Possible solutions

In the world of console gaming where players can enter new worlds and adopt new personas, there is certainly room for more games of chance. As Red Dead Redemption showed, players enjoy the tension of gambling when the outcome directly affects the trajectory of their game. Being able to gamble during the game in order to boost your progress knowing that the wrong outcome could also set you back, brings that real-world dimension to the experience.

Summary