The term popular culture is a common one. When you’re looking to describe it, the term encompasses various elements that all generations find popular. Sure, different generations have different views on things and they might not agree on some, but they like being entertained either by books, music, TV shows, plays, or films. Even video games bridge the gap between generations.
All this and more is what makes pop culture strive with each coming generation. That’s how the term means different things to different people. That’s also the reason why some might look to the casino industry as a source of entertainment and others don’t see it that way.
People have been playing casino games for a long time, so you can say that the industry, or rather casinos are a part of popular culture. They mix with the other elements and influence them. Naturally, the casino element is influenced by other factors as well. This mutual influence is felt and seen across the culture which is how pop culture grows and changes. Some influences are noticeable while others are subtle.
Casinos and Games
The gaming industry has been churning out titles for decades and it still hasn’t saturated the market. There’s always an itch to scratch as a certain group of gamers is looking for specific games. The casino influence is visible in the gaming industry. Several titles such as the ones in the GTA franchise feature casinos in certain neighborhoods where players can enter and play some casino games to earn in-game prizes.
Alternatively, you can see re-imaginings of casino towns as locations for a game. One such example is the Fallout: New Vegas game. The name of the town is Vegas, it’s post-apocalyptic, but it’s still Vegas. There are missions to complete and stuff to do, and players can visit 5 different casinos that let them earn gear, bottle caps, and even keys to suites if they’re good enough.
These are obvious casino influences, but an example of a subtle one would be the game Pazaak in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. This is a game you can play in the game and it’s similar to blackjack. Another subtle example would be the availability of poker and blackjack, and other casino games in Red Dead Redemption 2. The game is set in the Wild West, and to make the game seem more real, casino games that were popular back in the day were put as part of it.
Casinos and Films
The film industry has loads of blockbusters and classic films to offer. Some of them have even inspired iGaming providers to create casino games with a film theme. For example, a player on a Canadian online gambling site, or an American or British online casino might find a movie-themed slot in the slot section. This isn’t the only link between casinos and film.
The thing about the casino industry is that it had some ties to the mob in the early days of Vegas. Mob stories make for a good script and that’s why lots of crime movies feature them. Even a cult film like the Godfather has a link to Vegas. There are other examples of this such as the movie Casino and it doesn’t shy away from telling a good story either.
Naturally, other films focus on a certain casino game like poker or blackjack. If you’re referring to the former, then the film Rounders is one such example. But if you’re referring to the latter, then you can go for 21 as an example. And these are just the tip of the iceberg as many film titles have been influenced by casino culture in one way or another.
Casinos and Books
The world of literature takes inspiration from all sorts of places, which is why casino culture is visible in literature as well. One of the best writers in the world, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, was a casino fan. It’s no secret that he liked playing casino games across various casinos in Europe. His first novel is called The Gambler and the protagonist resembles the late writer in more ways than one. You’ll also see the casino influence in short stories and even comic books.
The Casino World Under Influence
But casinos are influenced by the other elements of pop culture. As mentioned before, films and TV shows have been inspiring to iGaming developers to create some amazing slot titles. The world of gaming influences the casino world as well. You can see this in the gamification process present across the industry.
Slots have begun to feature levels just like a video game. Similarly to that, the slot gets harder the higher the level you get. There are also leaderboards at online casinos which add a dose of competitiveness among players as to who plays the best. There are even some slot titles that don’t look like slots at all, they look like RPG games too. Then there’s VR gaming which is slowly making its way into the iGaming world.
Final Words
In conclusion, casino culture is part of popular culture as demonstrated by the examples before. The elements of popular culture take influence and give it back which is how pop culture morphs to survive. It’s currently taking new kinds of shapes as it’s moving to the future.
