Server-based Gaming: Along the Course of Time

Around middle of 2005, server-based gaming was still in the process of realizing what seemed to be a good concept for casino’s slot machines. Three years after, in 2008, server-based gaming realized full fruition. Manufacturers and operators started offering server-based slot machine games. A certain casino in MGM, for one, converted an entire floor of slot machines to offer the server-based gaming platform.

Basically, server-based gaming gives both the players and the operators the freedom to customize their gaming according to what they want. Operators can choose which features to use and include in their slot machines, according to individual preferences. These preferences include the ability to ‘change themes, promotions, the amount that can be wagered and the hold at a touch of a few keystrokes.’ Of course, this is exactly what made the platform very attractive to casino players.

On the players’ side, server-based gaming, allow a number of players to play across a series of machines and will also make it possible for the machine to keep track of the players progress. This allows player to rejoin in the previously saved game from a server even if the player plays at a different location.

Since its breakthrough in 2008, and it’s subsequent popularity among gamers, server-based gaming hasn’t gone all-out to casinos yet. Some still prefer the old slot machines. People even testified that sliding a coin through a machine and hearing the coins jingle as they drop on the plate was way more fun than online slot machines.

But the (cliché) argument remains; technology is rapidly advancing. Embracing what’s new doesn’t really mean forgetting the traditional. It’s true that many of the older generation and the traditional casino die-hards are no fans of online casino. But they are only a segment of the population. That’s why land-based casinos are still raking in a lot of cash. Meanwhile, those who prefer the online media may also enjoy casino games through their computer consoles and mobile devices.

A flashback on online gambling

The history of online gambling dates back in 1994, although systems and programs to make such has been there long before the internet has been introduced. It started with Carribean's Free Trade and Processing Act. Since then, people from different parts of the globe have the free reign to put up their own online casino. With the growing demand, software developers didn't lack the initiative to make and further update the needed software to operate and online casino.

In 1998, the world's festivity over the rise of online gambling was seemingly cut short. During that year, U.S. Senator Jon Kyl opposed online gambling with his Internet Gambling Prohibition Acts making it illegal for US companies and citizens to participate in any online gambling or online casinos. From then on, other countries have also made other laws with regards to the restriction of online gambling.

Today, online gambling has boomed into a wide and huge industry that a number of people - of different ages and gender. Its popularity rose tremendously that even in courts, poker players fight for its right to legalize it. It would be a long run but for these people, they would fight and do everything just to legalize an industry that they deem potential to the economic growth of the country.

Online Gambling's rise could also be its fall

Undeniable popularity. Fighting for their rights. More and more players sign-up. Different games, styles. Easy and accessible. All these is what online gambling is all about.

It had become popular over the years with a lot of different variety for each of online gambling games. More and more people are getting into it and more companies has been embracing this kind of change too.

But as online gambling became enticing to many, more are also getting hooked and is risked to become a compulsive gambler. With a chance to win a huge amount of fortune with just a click of mouse, the game could really be addictive especially if a new player has been welcomed with a big win. Win or lose, a player would want to play again either to win more or to try and win back the amount lost. Time will come and that person will strongly be obsessed and addicted to the game.

Compulsive gambling is not a new issue - with or without online gambling. The number of compulsive gamblers in traditional casinos alone is high. Now that it has become more accessible, the more that compulsive gambling has soared in numbers. This is one factor that makes it difficult for online gambling to be legalized in US.

What could give a possible rise of popularity, revenues, marketability, and the likes to online gambling, the after-effect (whether long-term or short-term) may at the same time bring it to the brink of its downfall.

Online Casinos: Helping an aging mind’s mental stimulation

“Studies have shown that 70 percent of elderly people in the US had participated in a gambling game of some sort in the last year.” –Ed Bradley

You got that right. Studies in the University of Pennsylvania and Penn State University showed that indeed, more and more elderly or aging people get themselves involved in various online games lately. This is because online games in online casinos (like blackjack and poker) help stimulate the mental ability of the elderly. These aging people are not only exercising their brains on how to operate the computer but they are doing more to that – they are strategizing and trying to gain focus as they play in online casinos.

These kinds of activities, as study shows, help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia – two diseases that comes in aging people. Highly-encouraged or not, online games in online casinos indeed help aging people to still keep their full mental function and slow down its deterioration.

Online gaming issues: Are we losing culture and ethics?

The virtual world – a little haven for people who are sort-of anti-social, and probably their preferable place to socialize instead of doing such in the real world; and in this kind of world where you communicate to someone quite anonymous with only a pseudonym and/or picture as identity, it is easier to make enemies and more difficult to make friends.

Zooming in, online gaming comprises more slice of the pie in the virtual world. People would love to have a few games at hand, wanting to excel on it compared to millions of people who want to do just the same. And in the virtual gaming world, can we still think of proper attitude, culture, and gaming ethics? First things first, are there such thing?

There may not be any but common sense would tell us that there is. Where are all the manners that our parents teach us while we were kids? In online gaming, they are forgotten.

China aired out on the goal of most online games: killing monsters and even human characters. They see this as something that would influence the physical activities and mental thinking of minors. True enough, most online games (especially RPG) are violent and full of gore. But there is more to violence than what people see on the game. Outside that is something more dangerous.

In an article found through the net entitled Online Gaming’s Dirty Little Secret, it stated:

Fast-forward to the current generation of games, and hearing racial epithets like the "n word" or homophobic slang like the "f word" shouted online is more commonplace than you might want to believe. Meanwhile, women who play in the male-dominated world of online gaming sometimes find themselves the victims of sexually suggestive comments and gender-based taunting.

We rant about these but, who should take action? There are not much regulations with regards to online violence. Some countries have, some countries don’t. Measures should be taken but if it’s online, it is quite inevitable.

Game developers should take the first step with regards to this matter since they’re the ones who are feeding the people with violence. With their games, it is like telling the people that violence is fun. It may not be their main goal in making such games but, have they thought about it when they made such games? Maybe no. Or maybe yes – but maybe they just disregarded ethics over marketability.

How can online gaming rise from the fall

The sudden recession and emergence of the global economic crisis has brought different industries into a decline of sales and revenues. A lot of companies have suffered losses, and left them to the choice of manpower-cutting increasing the unemployment rate.

Rising from the sudden fall is a big challenge for every affected company and one industry that has been greatly affected is online gaming. Sales have been low on software and consoles, not all patrons of their products still have the purchasing power and demands are getting low. What marketing strategy should they do? Should they decrease price and production and increase promotion? Would there be a win-win solution?

For online gaming, it has been and would be a great struggle to keep players on playing and purchasing their products. One thing that they could do is make a better version, improving the development of online games that they make. Once players would see a great improvement that they could take advantage of from the game, they would surely purchase the product to enjoy online gaming further.

Or they could take the risk of making new games from fresh ideas and the likes. They could probably take the advices or requests from avid gamers who purchase and use their products in a maximum level. From this, they could make a little transition of releasing a new game for a cheaper price before they sell the usual top-selling online games on its usual price.

Another challenge on the online gaming industry is how to lessen the cases of piracy. Piracy has brought a great impact in the loss of sales of these online games developers. Since people have lesser purchasing power, they would prefer cheaper software although it is pirated. Once piracy would lessen, online gaming companies can bounce back from the recession.There are many possible ways to rise online gaming from the economic fall. It would all depend on implementation and promotion, and who is willing to take the risk for change.