In the early days of playing traditional video games or online casino games on licensed and regulated iGaming sites, the overall experience was far less sociable than it is today and, to some extent, rather solitary.
These days, things are completely different, and both the traditional gaming experience and playing online casino games like blackjack, roulette, and poker (and even online slot machines) are more community-focused and far more socially interactive than it has ever been.
On this page, we will be discussing the social side of gaming and revealing which technologies and features are helping to connect players and build online communities in safe digital environments.
What does social gaming mean?
The term ‘social gaming’ refers to being able to play online games against or with other players and interact directly with them in real-time using various communication features to talk directly with others across various devices. In other words, we can now play and communicate with others via instant chat messaging [text] features and various other in-game/on-site communication tools.
This new way to play online games has helped boost player engagement and interaction, fostering a sense of community among the wider gaming audience. The gaming experience is no longer solitary and is far more social.
These socially interactive elements feature in everything from casual/social/arcade/mini/Indie games to the more graphically demanding, high-end triple-A blockbuster video games. They can also be found in the games you can play at legally permitted casino sites, like computer-generated table and card games, and highly sophisticated live dealer TV game shows.
What are social casino sites?
Social casino sites, aka social gaming sites or sweepstakes casinos, are pretty much the same as regular online casinos. However, no real money gambling is involved, yet you can still play the classics like roulette, slot machines, video poker and blackjack. See this page for more information about today’s safest sweepstakes sites and how they work.
Today’s most popular sweepstakes casino sites have incorporated many of these communication tools, and they actively promote interaction between players.
While taking spins in their favorite slots, competing against each other in online slot tournaments or table and card game tournaments, and even playing their favorite live dealer games, players today can chat with each other in real time.
They can see how much other players are betting and winning, and they can comment on some of those big wins.
In fact, in live dealer games from market-leading software providers and game development studios such as Evolution Gaming, Ezugi, Pragmatic Play, OnAir Entertainment, Authentic Gaming, and many other top-tier providers, players can even chat in real time with the live dealers.
These sites are becoming more popular than ever in recent years because you can interact with other like-minded players and play hundreds of fun-filled games at the same time. Additionally, players can also win real world prizes, and the beauty is that no purchase is required because they aren’t real money gambling sites.
When you sign up to a sweepstakes casino, you receive free gold coins and free sweeps coins as part of the initial sign-up bonus. The sweeps coins can be used to win redeemable prizes, including the following:
- Vouchers for your favorite online stores
- Merchandise for your favorite brands
- Luxury vacations
- Cash prizes
- Cars
- The latest electronic gadgets
Social gaming sites like this are currently taking North America by storm, and they are the perfect alternative to regular [real money] online casinos. They are almost identical, but without the gambling part.
They run on a two-coin virtual currency model, both of which are native to each site and have no monetary value in the real world.
If you run out of gold coins, they will be topped up for free, and if you want to get more sweeps coins to win some of the prizes mentioned above, you can purchase more in bundles/packages of, for example, $/€/£5, $/€/£10 or $/€/£20, provided you are aged 18 or above.
You can generally purchase additional sweeps coins using Visa and PayPal. Some sites also accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Final thoughts
Whether you like to play classic casino games like this in your spare time, or more traditional video games, such as Among Us, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Minecraft or World of Warcraft, you can now enjoy playing with others, thanks to a range of socially interactive features that most games have these days.
Gaming can now be done with others, and the shared experience of playing games together has made this form of entertainment more meaningful, engaging, and immersive. If you don’t want to engage with others, that’s fine. Chat messaging rooms and communication tools can easily be switched off or muted.
The point is that players have the option to communicate with others these days, which is something that just wasn’t possible back in the day, and it has opened up the world of gaming on so many levels for millions of players worldwide.