The rapidly growing mobile gaming market is projected to reach $200 billion by the early 2030s. While the reasons behind this growth have often been discussed, a fairly overlooked aspect behind the success of mobile games is the trends adopted from online casinos. The innovative features that helped online casinos grow their user base and improve engagement seeped into mobile games. In this article, we will dive into the trends in mobile gaming that have their roots in online casino mechanics.
The Rise of Reward Systems
First adopted by online casinos in the form of loyalty rewards and daily bonuses, reward systems are now an essential part of mobile games. Following the success of these reward systems in bringing players back to the platform, non-casino games started offering streak rewards and daily logins, which are found in almost every mobile game today.
To some extent, we’ve also witnessed non-casino mobile games adopting free spins into their reward systems. Mobile RPGs, sports games, and puzzle games are some examples that offer daily rewards for logging in.
Microtransactions and In-App Purchases
One of the major shifts in mobile gaming in recent years that fueled its growth was monetisation. Allowing players to play a game for free and generating revenue using in-app purchases is a revolutionary move by the mobile gaming industry. This practice, too, was inspired by online casinos that normalised spending money to buy “tokens” or “chips” for playing casino games.
In the context of mobile gaming, players buy coins, skins, and gems. They can spend money in small increments to further improve their mobile gaming experience. The psychology behind spending in small increments is a major influence left by online casinos on mobile games.
Live and Social Features
Online casinos were the pioneers of live table games, bringing the world of live dealer games like roulette and blackjack to people’s homes. The popularity of these games, along with the features of live chat in them, prompted many in the mobile gaming industry to integrate features such as live chat, multiplayer, and co-op systems.
Another crucial engagement tactic implemented by all the major players in the list of UK online casinos is the leaderboard and in-game chat. In-game voice chat is a popular social aspect of mobile RPGs, while leaderboards are common across most casual games that also allow players to share their scores on social media with their friends.
Gamification and Progression Loops
While gamification has seeped into non-gaming apps as well, progression loops play a major role in game design. Game progression is essential for delivering a sense of achievement to the players, which in turn keeps them engaged for longer hours. Online casinos use levelling systems and VIP tiers to implement the progression mechanics. The higher a player climbs in these tiers, the bigger the bonuses and other rewards get. In mobile gaming, the level of challenge also increases as players progress through different levels of the game.
Conclusion
Online casinos have influenced modern mobile game design in many ways. In the future, casino sites will introduce even more innovations aimed at boosting engagement. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of mobile gaming also promises more research in the field of game design and a possible influence on casino games in the future. We are already witnessing the gamification of apps across various categories as the influence of casual games on non-gaming apps continues to grow. The merging of features between mobile games and online casinos can be a catalyst in the growth story of both industries.
