Gaming. A single word that evokes many fond memories for some, and grueling losses for others. It’s a word that has the power to unite communities and divide them just as easily. “But why is it so?” you might ask.
Well, it is because many times you can hear the term “gaming” as an exchangeable word for “gambling”, not just for “video games.” Seeing that one word can unite such seemingly different concepts begs one to wonder what are the similarities and differences between these two. We’ll try to get to the bottom of this as best as we can throughout this article.
Basic Similarities That Get People Confused
While at a surface level there’s not much in common between these two, you might start to see a few key things once you take a gander between gaming and iGaming. The truth is that some forms of gambling require a little more than just sheer luck. Poker requires knowledge of the game, people skills, and the ability to bluff.
Similarly, other card games also require some form of skill to be played at optimum levels. On the other hand, you’ve got certain video games that don’t require all that much skill. Mobile games are infamous for being very easy and for imposing a lot of microtransactions, case in point many people often compare them to gambling.
Now that we know the similarities, it is high time we get into the essence of today’s subject. Let’s take a look at what offers for iGaming exist and how the gaming industry works in comparison to iGaming.
Differences Between Video Games and iGaming
Video games offer a more complex form of interaction than what all of iGaming has to offer. In video games, you can explore worlds, interact with NPCs, play mini-games within the game world, and much more.
Gambling and betting, on the other hand, offer very little in terms of interaction. Slots machines, for example, only allow you to press a button or turn a handle for the next spin. And that’s about it when it comes to interactivity. Card games offer a bit more variety, but again, everything is very limited compared to video games.
Other notable differences are related to graphics, communities, goals, and victimless fun versus the possibility of going bankrupt. Video games are usually risk-free unless they involve a form of gambling. Because, yes, certain video games also contain gambling possibilities. However, even those are often just for fun and your only possible loss is in-game currency instead of real money.
Does Gaming Fuel iGaming?
Video games might have a “gamble” to them, but there’s very little evidence that they encourage people to go and actually gamble in real life. On the contrary, unless the games involve loot boxes and microtransactions, video games might be a great refuge for those who want to seek financial thrills.
Instead of risking all your capital on gambling, you can just spend your money on video games and you’d have something to keep you occupied for much longer. Of course, that doesn’t mean that certain people don’t have mental pathologies that would encourage them to gamble if they will ever stumble on video games. There’s also the concept of eSports, which implies that viewers often bet on their favorite gaming teams – and that’s a form of gambling within itself.
What Do You Think?
We’re genuinely curious about what you think regarding this topic. Does gaming actually encourage iGaming and vice versa? What is your experience regarding either of these? Feel free to tell us all your thoughts about this matter in the comment section down below.
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