In recent years, the behaviour of gamers worldwide has gradually been shifting. In the world of gaming, traditional console gaming has ruled the entertainment jungle for decades. However, a new form of digital gaming is emerging to rival consoles. iGaming is a term becoming more familiar in gaming circles across the globe with online casinos, online sports betting platforms, and even Esports gaining larger audiences.By the end of 2025, the online gambling market was reported to be worth $117.5 billion and although this value is still significantly less than the market value of console gaming, the gap is being slowly bridged. The tide of gamers shifting towards iGaming avenues is turning mainly because of the growing similarities shared by the two forms of gaming. But what are some of the factors that are closing this gap in the gaming market?
Levels of Animation
One of the main components that contributes to the success of a gaming title is the graphics on display. In the past, online casinos and the game developers affiliated with them were handcuffed and only able to produce primitive digital visuals that represented gameplay on a blackjack, roulette, or poker table, and just that.
However, fast forward a couple of decades since the first online casino was unveiled in 1994, and the landscape looks significantly different due to rapid technological and software advances that have provided game designers and developers with enhanced tools to create greater levels of animation and interaction.
It is noticeable that the online slots section is often one of the largest sections within an online casino, with thousands of titles available. This is also where designers and developers have the most creative freedom. Nowadays, when you play online slots, enhanced visual effects and thematic soundtracks reflect broader trends in digital game development.
Communal Feel
Around the early 2000’s, Xbox introduced a game changing (literally) innovation that took the gaming world by storm. Multiplayer gaming was unleashed to the Xbox community on popular titles such as Halo, and more recently, Call of Duty: Warzone. Suddenly, players from all corners of the planet could collaborate and communicate with each other over a complex integrated chat system and powerful processing units.
While multiplayer gaming was already capable with two or more players on the same console and television, the arrival of online gaming unlocked a new communal avenue in console gaming. This example has been followed by online casinos and is exhibited on the recently introduced live casino platforms.
Live table games that stream real person dealers who coordinate the gameplay on real blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and poker tables in remote locations to players worldwide has added a communal aspect to what was once a solo experience. With the ability to communicate with the dealer and other players, a new casino community is providing a communal feel like that of console games.
And what is to come…
Game mechanics and the establishment of a gaming community are just two aspects that have brought iGaming closer to traditional console gaming. But another factor that could further align the two is the prospect of Virtual Reality gaming. The implementation of this tech in all forms of gameplay is just over the horizon and once it arrives, gameplay and levels of interaction are set for a boost in what would be a significant stride in the digital era.
