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Who could have predicted that Frogger, the franchise that debuted in arcades across America over 35 years ago, would be the catalyst for much debate of change in the gambling industry? After Konami released Frogger: Get Hoppin' on Feb. 18 in MGM Grand's LEVEL UP entertainment lounge, they immediately held a two-day tournament to mark the occasion, attracting hundreds of players according to a report on prnewswire.com.
While that's a fairly modest number in comparison to the thousands that flock to more well-known casino classics, the inclusion of skill-based machines could drastically change the luck-based industry. This, of course, comes at a time when eSports is entering the world of betting with professionally played games such as Overwatch, DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to name a few. Now people are not only able to watch the games on prime time television, but they have access to multiple sites that will let them stake money on the affair.
Source: Konami Gaming, Inc, Facebook
Who could have predicted that Frogger, the franchise that debuted in arcades across America over 35 years ago, would be the catalyst for much debate of change in the gambling industry? After Konami released Frogger: Get Hoppin' on Feb. 18 in MGM Grand's LEVEL UP entertainment lounge, they immediately held a two-day tournament to mark the occasion, attracting hundreds of players according to a report on prnewswire.com.
While that's a fairly modest number in comparison to the thousands that flock to more well-known casino classics, the inclusion of skill-based machines could drastically change the luck-based industry. This, of course, comes at a time when eSports is entering the world of betting with professionally played games such as Overwatch, DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to name a few. Now people are not only able to watch the games on prime time television, but they have access to multiple sites that will let them stake money on the affair.
Source: Mancave Stuff, Facebook
But that's just betting. With the new Frogger game and the recently released Space Invaders slot machine (casinos really like retro games apparently), you're going to be able to win money based on how well you perform at these particular titles. In Space Invaders, it is worth mentioning that the game is created not by Konami but instead by Scientific Games Corp. and was released in Atlantic City. The title will also only allow you to play the 1978 classic when entering a bonus round as shown by a video on Las Vegas Review Journal.
Frogger: Get Hoppin', on the other hand, has a much smaller luck-based factor to it, as the whole game (which is timed and has randomly-generated playing fields) will be based on skill and the outcome of your play will then affect how much money you win. Skilled play also affects your odds of winning more money in the luck-based spin-the-wheel section that comes after the game is played. In a simplified sense: the better you play, the more you win. Now, let's apply this concept to existing games. If we take a game such as Time Warp from Betsson casino and change the gameplay to match Ikaruga, a top-down scrolling shooter praised for its fluid controls and tough-as-nails gameplay, we could have a title that attracts someone who might have never considered coming into a casino. Another example: We could take Blood Suckers and design an experience similar to Castlevania, but the player only has two lives and once those run out, the game is over. Casinos, in a sense, could become a cross between what we know now and 80s arcades to attract a new demographic.
Source: Stucky's Bar and Grille, Facebook
Granted, in such a scenario each game would most likely be given some sort of luck-based element of play to make it harder for a highly-skilled competitor to clean out the house, but it could signal an evolution for the casino industry. A couple of different locations in Las Vegas have so much faith in this new, possible future for gambling that a report from Las Vegas Now shows all of the efforts businesses are going through to appeal to millennial audiences, a move that MGM Grand President, Scott Sibella says he will test and build upon over the years.
If the building process goes well, we could eventually see more and more people trying to make a living off of video games - not only the pro players currently dominating eSports. So the next time you visit Vegas take a good look, because in 10-20 years it could all change. Neon signs of Pac-Man and Mario might brighten up The Strip in the decades to come.
