Are Online Casinos Included Under Video Games?
With video games being as popular in the modern age as they are, it feels as though they’re more accessible than ever. Mobile gaming and free-to-play games can help people who wouldn’t otherwise be interested in the medium to at least try it out and see if it’s for them, for example. You also have digitized versions of previously physical activities, such as online casinos. Do the games here count as video games, though? Or are they forever distinct from this type of gaming due to their own history of being physical games?
The answer might be subjective, but there’s certainly a case to be made that they are generally thought to be included.
The Monetization
What might put some people into a point of view where online casino games wouldn’t be considered is the monetization aspect surrounding these games. The issue of payment is something inherently core to casino games, and without that aspect, they would lose a component that’s fundamental the short-burst rhythm of gameplay. So, is it unworkable?
Monetization in video games is far from unique to the games you’d find at an Australian casino online, however. Microtransactions are found throughout mobile gaming (the platform through which many would likely experience online casino games) and the general free-to-play genre. While sometimes this implementation can lead to controversy, it goes to show that this aspect of the games doesn’t contradict what’s already present in the landscape.
The Short Bursts
So, what about that different rhythm of gameplay? When you think of video games, you might think of something that takes you on a long journey, an adventure that you chip away at each time you sit down with it. However, there are many different genres and many of them feature much more digestible bursts of gameplay. A popular example of this is multiplayer games like Fortnite or Call of Duty, with people playing multiple games that start and end within one short sitting. On the single player end of the spectrum, you have rogue-like games that offer repeatable but randomized experiences based on the same gameplay loop, meaning that finding yourself with free hour or so gives you a chance to play the whole game from start to finish – with differences present that prevent it from becoming boring too quickly.
The Means of Access
While many online casinos that you might be interested in accessing are available through websites, others have their own dedicated apps that you’d download like other games. Online casino games would be improved through the same hardware updates that apply to other games such as resolution and refresh rate, and you ultimately play them in much the same way. With all of these factors in mind, it’s difficult to separate them from other gaming experiences, at least when talking about mobile gaming alone.
Therefore, their digitization isn’t just a simple shift of how you experience them; it’s the integration into a wider genre and medium that accommodates them.