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Coops have always been popular in gaming, but as connectivity has become less and less of an issue, the sector has continued to blossom. Today, it doesn’t matter what your gaming preferences are or your skill level, there are co-op games to suit. Although the survey is somewhat outdated now, Quantic Foundry data showed that, in 2016, co-op games were more popular than competitive games. Around the same time, a leading co-op designer, Matt Morris, said in an interview with LowkoTV that co-op “is more popular” than all of multiplayer gaming combined.

Co-Ops Enter Casino Gaming

Source: Pixabay

 

Further evidence of the popularity of co-op games can be seen on Steam. Together, the most played co-ops attract almost 300,000 players at peak times. That’s more than single-player versions of certain MMOs with a 24-hour peak of 130,048 players. We can still see the influence of co-op games in other areas of the gaming industry. Specifically, casino gaming.

In modern online slot games, players no longer have to play on their own. Jackpot slots, also known as progressive jackpot slots, have a co-op element. This doesn’t mean players are playing together and pooling their profits. What it means is that players’ bets get pooled together in order to create mega jackpots. Take, for example, Divine Fortune. This jackpot slot has prizes worth fixed amounts (based on a player’s bet size and a prize multiplier) as well as three jackpots.

These jackpots are progressive. That means they increase in value over time until someone wins. A system of collective contributions makes this possible. A small percentage of each player’s bet gets taken and put into the pot. This happens each time someone plays so that, over time, jackpots exceed the standard payouts for a slot game. What you’ve got here is a system of cooperation. Players know the theoretical long-term return rate for jackpot games is slightly lower than a fixed-payout slot. However, there’s an implicit agreement that everyone is working together to build a jackpot that, once won, offsets the slightly lower theoretical long-term return rate.

New Innovations to Embrace Co-Op Dynamics

Source: Pixabay

 

This desire for co-op gaming in the slots world has also allowed developers to pivot slightly and create competitions. Essentially, because players are used to sharing their slot gaming experience with others, they’re now willing to play against people in the pursuit of extra prizes. Thus, from co-op gaming, we’ve got to a point where competitive slot tournaments are a thing. These examples demonstrate the popularity of co-op gaming and we’ve not even spoken about the social sector.

The gamification of social media products is another example of how co-op gaming has taken hold. Encouraging people to share results and help others to complete certain tasks show why co-ops are flourishing in today’s internet-connected. This will only become more apparent if virtual reality (VR) finally becomes the default medium for entertainment. One of the main reasons companies such as Meta are pushing for a VR revolution is that it’s the ideal medium for shared experiences.

Connecting to people on the other side of the world in immersive environments is extremely easy with Meta Quest and other VR headsets. You’ll see this when you play games such as Arizona Sunshine II. Therefore, this move towards VR is ideal for co-op gaming fans because it means the go-to method for gaming will be multiplayer. Indeed, the best VR experiences are shared ones, so, based on this and what we already know, it seems as though co-op gaming is going to dominate in the coming years.