Video games are one of the most widespread hobbies around the world. In the last two decades, video games have broken through the boundaries of demographics that previously limited their audience. They are now played by people of all ages and demographics. Games are played online on PC, on consoles and on mobile devices. They are played casually, as a serious hobby, and can now even be a full-time job.
When talking about eras of video games, one of the easiest ways to divide them into periods is by console series. Each series of consoles is referred to as a generation. The most recent generation is referred to as ‘next-gen’. We are currently in Generation Nine. Generation Nine started in 2020 with the release of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
As each new generation of consoles is released, the rest of the video game industry responds by improving the games that they offer for consoles, PCs and all other platforms. This is the first generation change that will have an impact on the online casino industry.
Online casinos are now a major player in the video game industry. They are one of the fastest growing segments of both the video game and gambling markets. In this article, we’ll look at the ways that next gen gaming could influence casino games.
Payment methods
One of the main changes we’ve seen in the gaming industry over the last few years and especially in next gen gaming is in how games are paid for. It used to simply be that you’d make a one-time purchase and that was that. Occasionally if extra content was created, it would be released as an expansion. It is now more common for games to have purchases that can be made in-game, either to add content or to make the game easier.
This has also led to a change in how people buy games. Instant digital payment methods are now the main way to buy any game or to make in-game purchases. New methods that make that process smoother or have other perks are regularly being introduced.
Online casinos have followed this trend. The leading online casinos accept a wide variety of digital payment methods, with PayPal and e-wallets being among the most popular. Interac casinos let users pay with this e-transfer program. Interac is one of the more recent additions to the payment landscape and is set to be more widely accepted as it grows in popularity.
Graphics
One of the most dramatic developments we tend to see with each new generation of games is in the graphics quality. There are usually one or two flagship games that accompany the release of the new consoles that show off the graphics abilities.
After that, there may be a small lull until the games industry catches up with what the latest consoles are capable of. After nearly four years, we’re not at the point where we’re seeing more and more games with truly top-tier graphics. Some of the releases we’re most impressed by are Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Final Fantasy 16 and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores.
Online casino games are fairly simple, which means that they’re quicker to bring through development. That also means that they can be more responsive to improvements in graphics technology. We can expect to see the newest online casino games have even better graphics than what we’re currently getting.
Incorporating social media
In today’s world, social media plays a huge part in how we interact with one another. Next gen gaming consoles all have online connectivity and online aspects that encourage players to communicate with one another while they play.
Playing at online casinos is usually a very solitary activity. Unless you’re playing poker at a live table game with your friends, it’s very hard to actually play with other people. One of the big changes that we’re likely to see is a more social element to online casino games. This could come in the form of dedicated social media pages or in a site blog where players can comment and interact.
We are also likely to see a continued rise in the social casino industry. These are online casinos where the prizes are tokens, not real money. This puts the focus more on the social element instead of simply on winning. Social casinos are already very popular in the United States, so their increased growth would not be a surprise at all.