Best Video Games Featuring Casino Games

Something that occurred to me recently was that I had spent most of the time I had played Red Dead Redemption, a game largely about shooting people, engaging in casino games. Red Dead Redemption, like many modern open world games, allows the player the option to holster their six-shooter, kick back, and enjoy a few rounds of poker. It’s odd, really, considering how long I’ve been involved in the gambling industry that it has only just occurred to me how many video games allow you to participate in a bit of consequence-free gambling.

For those unaware, Red Dead Redemption is an outstanding Western game, its main focus on allowing players to live out fantasies of being a cowboy. Such fantasies involve; pulling you six-shooter and killing bandits, pulling your six-shooter and killing animals, pulling your six-shooter and killing Native Americans, and, of course, tying up victims and leaving them on train tracks.

It’s an exceptionally good game, and just so happens to have a really good poker mini-game built right into it. The poker mini-game was so good, in fact, that I largely ignored the rest of the game. It helped a great deal that if I lost at poker, I was allowed to pull my six-shooter and gun down the other players.

Fully Operational Game Casino

In the world shatteringly popular Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the player is again given the option to play casino games, if they choose to do so. Only, in San Andreas the player is offered an all but fully operational casino. The number of casino games available is honestly astonishing, given that they are completely optional, and not a central part of the game. Games available include; video poker, slot games, roulette, blackjack, horse race betting, and a wheel of fortune.

Each game is fully fleshed out, functions perfectly, and is, in some cases, more impressive than a few real money online casino games I’ve seen at less than stellar establishments. At least, more impressive as far as ambient realism is concerned. The only thing that made San Andreas questionable, in terms of its gambling games, is that the player is able to save, make an insane long shot bet in roulette, and simply load the save if the bet fails.

This means, of course, that there is zero consequences to the gambling, making it all but pointless. I recall quickly becoming a millionaire when I played San Andreas, and it wasn’t half as fun as I thought it would be. After all, there was very little to spend my virtual millions on, beyond guns and digital cars. Yawn.

Why Not Real Online Casino Games?

In thinking about all the great video games that have casino games, I started wondering why real online casino games do not offer a similar experience. I mean, wouldn’t it be something to have a virtual online casino that allowed you to walk around, like a video game character? Instead of simply clicking on menus, selecting games, and being dropped directly into a game, wouldn’t it be far more immersive to walk an avatar around, lead them to the desired game manually, and so on?

The more I thought about this concept, the more brilliant it seemed in my head. You could have a virtual online casino, have players appear as avatars, and allow them to explore the casino as they desired. Each player could design the avatar as they chose, making a character as cool as they desired, and even interact with other people beyond the casino games. Really now, why has this not yet been done?

Future Online Casino Developments

Baffled, I searched around to see why this idea had not been put into practice, and lo and behold I found that not only was such a concept already in development, but it was way beyond what I had imagined in my head. I knew that virtual reality would soon be making its appearance in casino games, but didn’t realise that a fully operational virtual casino was already planned. How small I had been thinking.

Forget steering a virtual avatar around with a keyboard and mouse; that is clearly thinking like a person from yesteryear. Future online casinos are looking to allow players to explore digital casinos with the power of VR, allowing them to walk around a digital casino, talk to other visitors, and engage in various casino games as they choose. Just typing these words makes me feel like I’m describing a science fiction novel, but I’m not. Such online casino experiences will be available in the near future.

It all sounds great, but I ask you this; will these virtual reality games allow me to pull a six-shooter and gun down other players who beat me at poker? I think not, and that means there is clearly still room for improvement.