Looking at Social Aspects of Online Casino Games
In recent years, social features have become a lot more common in casino games, especially online ones. These are designed to enhance the gameplay experience and make games more compelling and enjoyable.
Casino games becoming more social. © u_ikll9rvaom Pixabay
Online and Physical Casino Games
Playing online casino games can be quite a solitary experience. This is because a lot of the time, it’s just you playing a game with no one else taking part. Slots are a great example of this.
By contrast, when you play a live dealer game, there’s nearly always an actual dealer who oversees everything. There are also a number of other players participating in the exact same game as you.
Generally speaking though, playing casino games online isn’t sociable because it’s just you and a screen. Contrast this with the act of going to a brick-and-mortar casino and playing games there.
When you’re at an actual casino, you play slot machines on your own. Table games, however, are usually much more social because lots of people can take part in the same game together.
With roulette, you’re still playing on your own, despite there being any number of other people at the table. Even though you’re not playing against anyone else, the gaming experience still has a social element.
When you play roulette games at roulette casino sites, it’s just you watching a screen. There’s no table with people gathered around it, keen to find out what pocket the ball lands in.
Then there’s poker, which is a multiplayer game with several rounds of betting. It’s a perfect example of a sociable game because you’re competing against several other people for the win.
Social Elements in Online Casino Games
In recent years, the experience of playing casino games online has become more social. This is because a lot of games have introduced particular elements to make games more interactive.
Here are some social features found in online casino games. They differ in how they work and what they do, but what they have in common is that they make playing online casino games a bit more social.
Chat Features
As mentioned earlier, live games are more social than regular, animated online games because there are other players. Most live dealer games have a chat feature that lets you communicate with everyone else who’s playing and the dealer.
You don’t have to chat with others if you don’t want to; it’s still possible to enjoy solo gaming even when playing a live game. However, the chat feature is there if you want to make use of it.
While chatting is optional, it can enhance the gaming experience and give you a sense of community when playing a live dealer game. It can make games more enjoyable and appealing, especially if you’re a sociable person yourself.
Multiplayer Games
Quite a few gambling sites in the UK have multiplayer games that require two or more people to take part. Bingo sites typically have around a dozen or more rooms, each hosting loads of games throughout the day.
Dozens or even hundreds or possibly thousands of people can take part in a single game of online bingo. Games with more players tend to have bigger cash prizes and can be very exciting and tense to play.
Some sites have multiplayer poker software that allows people to take part in proper poker games with other people over the internet. Poker sites typically have games for players of all experience levels.
They also host tournaments and competitions, encouraging people to perfect their strategies and master their gameplay so they can effectively play against others. These make poker a competitive game to play, which in turn adds to its appeal.
Shared Jackpots
You could say that progressive jackpot slots are social in the sense that they bring people together and have them compete for a single prize. Some slots have their own progressive jackpot that you can’t win from any other slot.
Others share their progressive jackpot with any number of other slots. The Mega Moolah series from Games Global is particularly well known and currently includes over two dozen slots.
Play any of these and you stand a chance (albeit a small one) of winning one of four progressive jackpots. The biggest one starts at £1 million, so whoever wins it is guaranteed to become a millionaire.
Everyone who spends real money playing a Mega Moolah slot contributes to the jackpot funds. This adds to the social element because everyone has a part to play even if they don’t win.
Bet Behind
In some live blackjack games, there’s a feature called bet behind. With this, you can bet on another player’s success. Simply choose a player and place your bet. Your bet wins if the chosen player wins.
The bet behind feature lets you take part in a live dealer game even if all the places at its virtual table are full. It’s also a different way to experience live games that some players enjoy.
Many of the best blackjack sites in the UK have games with the bet behind feature available. If you’re looking for a new way to play blackjack, it might be worth using bet behind and seeing what it’s like.
Slot Tournaments
Many online casinos in the UK have slot tournaments. These are thrilling competitions where you earn points by playing selected slot games. The more points you have, the higher up the leader board you’ll go.
When the tournament ends, players who are high enough on the leader board earn a share of the prize pool. The more points you’ve earned, the bigger the share you’ll win.
Some casinos have their own tournaments. Then there are some providers, such as Pragmatic Play, Games Global and Playson, that host their own tournaments at multiple casino sites.
Tournaments are great fun because they put you in competition with other players. You don’t actually compete against others directly, but you’re still trying to get more points than everyone else.
Online Casino Games Are Already Quite Social
The features we’ve listed above aren’t new. They’ve been present in online casino games for quite a few years now. You can say that games at online casinos are becoming more social because these features are becoming more common.
Providers are always keen to improve their products. They want to attract more people to their games and encourage them to play for a while, enjoying a memorable gaming experience in the process.
New online casino games come out all the time. There’s a good chance that a large percentage of these will come with at least one kind of social element that enhances their gameplay.
Providers and casino operators know that when games are social in some way, they become more fun and can attract more players. This is why social elements are here to stay.
