Online casinos look to compete against mainstream gaming

The online casino has been a long-standing innovator within the computer gaming industry, from the earliest games of chance to sophisticated simulations of complex games such as poker - but as video games become ever more advanced, can it maintain its hold on players?
Online casinos have continued to maintain a growing fanbase across the globeOnline casinos have continued to maintain a growing fanbase across the globe
Online casinos have continued to maintain a growing fanbase across the globe

More so than ever before, the gaming industry is home to an abundance of fierce competition between developers, tech giants, and the gamers themselves. Throughout 2020, the industry has been undergoing a seismic shift toward the future of gaming; from details emerging about the next generation consoles to the titles and trends taking a front seat in this progression toward a new age, the clamour for growing an ever more loyal fanbase and making the strongest mark within the industry has been more palpable than ever before.

Away from the hype however, online casinos have quietly continued to maintain a growing fanbase across almost every corner of the globe. But, with the new era dawning, can the online casino maintain its status going into 2021? And in an industry so determined to turn the player’s attention toward new trends, new technology, and new styles of gameplay, how will the casinos pull it off?

Versatility

Players enjoy more freedom than ever; vast libraries of digital content allow for an instantaneous approach to gameplay. This trend carries over to the online casino. Sites that offer free, demo-mode gameplay are growing more and more common. Take, for instance, the thousands of free slots at DogSlots, all of which offer players the opportunity to play for real money without the need to make any payment to the casino first.

Variety

There is no greater exemplar of the gaming world’s emphasis on variety than the online casino. The genre’s fanbase is one of the most diverse and nuanced in the world, and the leading casinos understand that, in order to draw in new players, offering burgeoning libraries of fresh, new games is one of the greatest tools they have in their belts.

This emphasis on versatility is captured within the console wars, where Sony and Microsoft are forever attempting to gain the advantage by offering desirable and exciting new titles exclusive to their services, but none manage it in quite the same way as the online casino.

Excitement

The emotion that has driven the huge growth of computer gaming is one of excitement; whether it’s an FPS or an open world adventure, games succeed when they can appeal to a player’s sense of exhilaration, anticipation, and adrenaline. No other genre in the gaming world does more to directly target a player’s sense of excitement than online casino, and the industry is forever working to up the stakes, offering incredible jackpots and wins, and trying to offer their fanbase an experience no different to the thrill of playing within a real life casino.

The Emphasis is on the Player

The console wars have been marred somewhat by a growing sense that the need to sequester players and create captive audiences is damaging the industry as a whole. From controller limitation to exclusive titles, the player suffers more than anyone else.

The leading online casinos have made their way to the top of the chain through their ability to cater to the players themselves, from excellent customer service to the lack of a need to exclude anyone, the player remains at the very centre of the experience.

All of this means that while mainstream gaming will continue to grow, online casinos can expect to remain as popular as ever.

Related topics: