The comparison between online casino games and other types of video games is something that’s raised time and time again due to them being accessible in much the same way. You find the right site or app, and you simply use your phone to play the games you want at any given time – basically an identical process (as far as mobile gaming goes, anyway).
However, in terms of how they actually play, is the similarity there? Do the starkly different backgrounds still make them stand out as different activities even when they are under the same umbrella? These questions and distinctions can make all the difference to a new player.
Short-Form Games
You might have an idea already about the ways in which these two examples are different. You might turn your attention to popular games like Skyrim, or Red Dead Redemption, and think about how those titles use their format to tell a long story, or opportunity for role-playing across many hours. In this sense, they are very different. Not all games are like that, though, and many, like FTL: Faster Than Light, or Hades, are more interested in compact, repeatable, short-form gaming experiences.
If you play online pokies, you might find that the experience here is very similar. These are games that you pick up, and fill a certain amount of time with before deciding whether to have another game or give it a rest, which is something that neatly fits it alongside other games in the library.
The Classics
In a lot of ways, casino games might have more in common with classic gaming experiences. The medium of gaming is so broad that there are bound to be examples that don’t align, but turning your attention to something like Tetris, might have you see the similarity in a game of slots, digital roulette, or even blackjack. In Tetris, for example, player choice is incredibly important, but it’s not something that’s about making decisions in the story. It’s just about how your actions have consequences in regards to the game. Place one block in the wrong place, and you’re going to base all your subsequent moves around correcting that.
Blackjack is very similar in this regard. When you’re presented with your cards, you have to make a choice – what are you going to do? Is the gap small enough to risk? These moment-to-moment decisions are the foundation of the game.
The Financial Aspect
What might set these games apart, as far as you’re concerned, could be the fact that they revolve around money and payouts in a way that the other games often don’t. This might not be as true as you think it is, however, due to the presence of microtransactions across a vast array of games. This isn’t only true in the mobile gaming scene, as you might expect, but it’s something that finds its way onto multiple console or multiplayer titles. The practice is gaining controversy in these spaces, however, meaning that it’s still more widely applicable to mobile gaming than consoles.
