Why Developers Should Add Gambling to Video Games

By: Will Wood

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In recent years, the gaming industry has grown at a rapid pace. Improvements in technology and changing attitudes towards video games have meant that more people than ever are buying all kinds of different games to play on their PC, console, or mobile device. In 2020, the video game market was worth an estimated $90 billion, up from around $80 billion in 2017, and it is expected to continue growing. 

Despite the growing industry and the potential profits that can be made, it is still incredibly expensive to develop and release a game. They can take years to create, and some of the biggest games can cost developers hundreds of millions. As a result, video game developers and publishers are always looking for ways to increase their revenue. 

In recent years, there has been a trend of releasing video games that combine gambling elements with traditional video game mechanics. This trend can potentially increase the revenue that games make while also making them more exciting for the player. Our Polish gambling expert Jacek Michałski weighs in with his opinion on why more developers should start adding gambling to their games below. You can read more on his profile

Online Casino Gaming

A Polish online casino is a great example of just how popular gambling is. Although casinos and gambling games have always been popular, online casinos have helped make it more accessible than ever to players all over the world. In previous times, people would have to travel to a land-based casino, and in some countries, that has not always been possible. As technology has improved, online casinos have become safer, more enjoyable, and more widespread than ever before. 

Developers can learn a lot from the success of online casinos, looking at how an online casino program can encourage people to play and what makes them so compelling. Over time, casino website software has added new rules, bonuses, and varieties to ensure that players always have something new to try, which is partly why they have become so popular. Of course, the fact that players can win real money while playing is also a big factor in why so many Polish people enjoy playing at these sites.

Gambling Minigames

Online casino games like blackjack, roulette, and poker are popular worldwide, so it’s little surprise to see that they often feature in video games. AAA video game franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Watchdogs, Fallout, Fable, and even the Sims have all featured gambling in some form. 

All of these franchises and many more have added some form of gambling minigames that players can choose to play if they wish, providing a change of pace from the usual gameplay. Gambling minigames are a lot of fun to play, and although they might not make a big difference to sales in Poland, they are certainly appreciated by players. 

Microtransactions in Games

The main way gambling is currently used by video game developers is with microtransactions such as loot boxes. Microtransactions are small payments that players make to buy in-game items such as new armor, weapons, or outfits. They have become a popular part of online gaming software in recent years. This has been driven by the popularity of the freemium model, where it costs nothing to play the game, but players can choose to purchase items if they want. 

Loot boxes are in-game items that combine microtransactions with gambling. Normally, players know what they get when they purchase an item in a game. With loot boxes, however, the item is hidden until after the player has bought it. The player could receive a normal item, or it could be something extremely rare. 

The player is effectively gambling that they will receive a rare item, and this form of microtransaction has become very popular among game developers in recent years. It’s an excellent way for a game to increase its revenue while also making the gameplay much more exciting for players.  

Although there have been some calls to ban loot boxes and other forms of gambling from video games, by Polish ministers they remain popular among a lot of players, as it allows them to get their hands on rare items without spending lots of money. The popularity of online gambling has shown why developers are right to consider adding more gambling into their video game releases. Despite this, there must be proper controls to ensure that children are not being exposed to gambling in video games.