In today’s age, the gaming industry is booming. With more and more games being released every year, it can be difficult to keep up with them all. One of the most popular types of games is slot machines or casino-style gambling games that allow you to play for fun or real money. With so many different types of these games available on the market, there are also a lot of different motivations for people who gamble in these video game-style slots.

In this blog post, we will explore the motivations and characteristics of gamblers who play video games with an emphasis on those that enjoy gambling on video games.

Gamer Motivation Model

The Gamer Motivation Model is a comprehensive framework for understanding the psychological and behavioural patterns of gamers. It identifies six primary motivational drives: Action, Social, Mastery, Achievement, Immersion, and Creativity. The model is grounded in extensive research on video games and gamers’ motivations to play them.

To make it clearer, you should understand a bit better each of those motivations:

  • Action – this motivation is based on the excitement and destruction that the game can bring. In gambling, this can be connected to the rush players feel when they wait to see if they won.
  • Social – based on competition and community, this factor is highly triggered in social casino games (SCG), which are found to be often what leads people to real gambling.
  • Mastery – this motivation includes challenge and strategy, which most players and gamblers try to develop to maximise their chances to win.
  • Achievement – includes completion and power, usually seen when gamblers and/or players get lucky and win.
  • Immersion – this motivation is based on motivation and story. Not a common reason why gamers switch to gambling.
  • Creativity – includes design and discovery; this factor is also not very common in gamers who gamble.

Video Game Motivation

As you can see, gamer motivation to play their games is based on a few different factors. To detect the motivations of gamers who take on gambling, it’s important to notice that gambling shares 4 out of 6 motivational drives for video game players. This means that gambling is particularly tempting for them since very few video games can tick so many motivations at once.

Another reason why video game players are more likely to start gambling is their characteristics. The majority of video game players (34%) are male, in the age between 18-34. Not surprisingly, it is also the gender and age group that’s most prone to starting and getting addicted to gambling.

Lastly, video game players, especially those who have tried playing social casino games before, are more likely to believe that they have developed a tactic that will help them win in real life. This makes them more likely to try playing with real money.

Movement-Based Sports Video Games: Investigating Motivation and Gaming Experience

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of video games that are not only focused on combat but also movement-based sports such as soccer and hockey. These types of interactive virtual reality applications can be seen as a form of physical activity because they require players to move their bodies to make progress.

As the author, Konstantin Terekhin, notices (read more about him here), this form of video gaming is adding even more to the exciting factor of game playing. As you need to use your whole body to play, you are more likely to become even more engaged in the game. This is especially true in the popular lately VR (virtual reality) games, which allow the players to act and feel as if they’re truly part of the game.


Increased exposure to those games increases the possibility of switching to social casino games or directly to gambling. As slots with bonus rounds [valid where legal] becomes more and more accessible, there is a possibility of seeing an increase in the number of players that participate in that activity.

Conclusion

Due to the improving gaming technology and easier accessibility to online gambling, it’s no surprise that we see a surge in the number of gamers who gamble. As online casino games and gambling can provide almost all the motivations that players have to play video games, they’re drawn to trying their luck in online and real gambling. 

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