Although they do share some similarities, iGaming and video gaming are very different. Most video games do not offer cash prizes, for example, whereas iGaming typically means that the player is competing to beat the house rather than other players, poker being one of a few exceptions. One is played purely for pleasure, while might include prizes and create monetary value (think NFTs), and the other primarily to try and win prizes. However, despite these differences, the two digital gaming worlds have converged in some respects in recent years.  

Faster Payments

One way that iGaming and video gaming have become similar is in their use of blockchain. Blockchain is the technology that underpins cryptocurrency and, among its benefits, it can be used to offer fast, inexpensive payments. Casino instant withdrawal options use cryptocurrency to be able to send money to players’ accounts. Play-to-earn games offer similarly fast payouts to players as they use game-specific cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

Blockchain can also benefit both industries in other ways. Its records are immutable, which means that everything from in-game assets to roulette spins are recorded. It offers transparency in games, which can enhance trust in gamers and provide verifiable proof of fairness in games.

Gambling Elements in Video Games

Video games have long featured games of chance, and this is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern games. Games like Red Dead Redemption directly feature poker as a playable game, and it is far from alone. GTA Online even has its own casino where players can spin wheels and play games to potentially pick up prizes.

Titles with in-game currencies and items like loot boxes not only feature games of chance in the game itself, but they offer players a chance to pick up prizes to enhance their enjoyment of the game. These games of chance bring gambling into video games. Players will even find gambling settings in video games, such as casino levels in first-person shooters. The same bright lights and rhythmic sounds that attract players to casinos also attract players to these video games.

Video Game Styled iGaming

The video gaming industry is one of the biggest industries in the world. More than 3 billion people are active video gamers, equating to more than a third of the total population. As such, it is hardly surprising that online casinos and other iGaming companies have attempted to tap into the popularity of major game franchises.

Tomb Raider, Street Fighter, and Call of Duty are all available as slot machines. As well as being popular with gamers, these slots are popular because they already have digital assets associated with them, and even players who don’t own consoles or don’t play games on their PCs recognize the characters and settings from some of the games. If a title’s settings and characters have proven popular in video games, there’s a good chance this will transfer to their use in iGaming titles, too. 

Gamification In iGaming

Gamification is commonly used in video games.  It not only forms the basis of most titles but it is also used in other areas of games. Challenging other players to beat your scores, rewarding new badges and player cards, and allowing leveling up and prestiging in certain games are examples of gamification.

These same elements are also being used by iGaming businesses. It is becoming increasingly common to see leaderboards, as well as details of recent winners, at online casinos. And some VIP programs offer the same types of badges, as well as improved avatars, to regular players. These don’t improve the player’s chances of winning, but they can improve enjoyment of the site and they encourage players to spend more time and, importantly, more money on the sites.