What Trends do Different Gaming and Entertainment Genres Borrow From One Another?
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Different sectors of the gaming industry may be competing when it comes to being the top dog overall, but they still need to borrow ideas from one another to push things forward. For instance, if there’s a trend in console gaming, it’s likely that it will also appeal to mobile and casino players as well. Diverse offshoots of gaming can learn from their rivals, and it’s important for developers to follow the leader.
Mobile is dominating right now with almost 2.9 billion players worldwide, so this sector is setting the benchmark for others. However, developers on the smaller platform are learning from other offshoots of the gaming industry as well. Here’s how it all intertwines.
Freebies
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly which offshoot of the gaming industry pioneered the idea of the freebie. It could be traced back to the early 1990s, when developers would often release demo discs for their games. Players could pick these up from magazines and get a brief taster of what the game had in store for them. The best promotions, though, came about when competition grew fierce. That occurred when the online gaming industry started to blow up in the late 2000s.
When it comes to offers and bonuses, the online casino industry has always led the way and set a standard for other branches of gaming to follow. Online casinos are constantly battling with one another to attract players. This means that offering welcome bonuses has become essential. Indeed, sites that don’t have freebies are likely to lose out to their rivals. The first offers were deposit matches, which quickly became ubiquitous. Nowadays, the no deposit casino sets itself apart from the crowd. This is where players can access games for free first, without having to top up any of their own funds.
The mobile gaming industry took this concept from online casinos and employed it in the freemium marketing model. This allows players to play games for free first, but they need to pay money if they want to speed things up or get upgrades. Some of the best-known freemium games include Clash of Clans, Vikings: War of Clans, and Call of Duty: Mobile.
Storylines and Interactivity
Console and PC offerings have been leading the way for many years with storylines and immersive gameplay. This is the oldest form of digital gaming, and it has had more time to advance than mobile and casinos. In the early days of consoles, the storylines to the games were basic. For example, the plot of Super Mario Bros. in 1985 was that the player had to save the princess. That was it. Nowadays, though, players are living alternate lives in games like Fallout 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2. The storylines have become even more complex and convoluted than film.
Mobile and casino games could be heading in the same direction, as developers realize this is an aspect that gamers love to see. A lot of games in these sectors now have animated cutscenes that provide players with more background about the characters and settings involved. This is likely to get even more detailed in the future.
Themed Games Based on Movies
Games based on movies have existed for decades. It all began with Raiders of the Lost Ark for the Atari 2600 in 1982, and there have been thousands in the years since then. These games are often used to boost film franchises and help them garner attention from places they normally wouldn’t find viewers.
It could be argued that mobile and casino gaming has taken over from consoles with regards to releasing titles based on films. This has occurred because these less-complex games are easier for developers to release quickly. Modern console offerings take years to build, so it’s hard for developers to know which films are going to be hits. Online casino and mobile games can easily be made and released at the same time as films and serve to promote the silver screen offerings well.
While each offshoot of the gaming industry exists separately, they all draw inspiration from one another. What works for one sector can also be successful in the others, and it is important for developers to keep on top of the latest trends when they occur.
