You may have noticed that there are increasingly more lucky draws, roulette wheels, and even slot-style minigames integrated into your favorite video games. This is especially true when it comes to FPS or shooters, RPGs, and sports simulator titles like FIFA, Call of Duty, and Zenless Zone Zero. Well, if it isn’t already obvious, these minigames are basically integrating gambling into your non-gambling-related gameplay. With how this has become increasingly more common as new games hit the market, it clearly wasn’t an accident or a one-and-done. Rather, this is a meticulously engineered design strategy using powerful psychological hooks to boost player retention.
The Fundamental Appeal of Chance
Diving deeper into such an integration means understanding why exactly humans are inherently drawn to casino-style games. In its simplest form, randomized rewards are always going to be appealing, as it is hardwired into human nature. After all, who doesn’t love a good surprise? This is what we call the variable ratio schedule of reinforcement, a psychological tool wherein unpredictable responses are provided at irregular intervals.
The goal is to keep the participant motivated and engaged, which, for casino operators, is a desirable consumer behavior. When applied specifically to a casino game, there is a dopamine response that comes from the uncertainty of not knowing when a reward is coming. Generally, the mechanics of these games are extremely simple (pulling a lever or pushing a button), requiring minimal effort from players. However, this small gesture does bring a large emotional response.
For example, sites to play fish games provide players with the excitement of arcade-style gameplay, combining fast-paced action with potential real prizes. More specifically, they can shoot at various sea creatures or fish with a tap of a button (as opposed to spinning a wheel) to collect a reward. This encapsulates the core of what makes gambling games interesting: the appeal of chance. As such, when combined with a standard non-gambling title, it makes draws or free spins that much more satisfactory, even if it’s only using in-game currency.
Elevating the Competitive Stakes
This is especially true when it comes to high-stakes competitive games, and a really easy, well-known instance of this is in Call of Duty: Mobile. One of the only ways to get a rare mythic or legendary skin for a gun or character is through participating in the game’s Lucky Draws. With Season 10 currently ongoing, draws for the Jupiter Canon, Halloween Series, Undertaker/Alexa Bliss, and Midnight Crescendo are all available at the in-game store.
For each of these, character and gun skins are the grand prizes, but one roll (draw) costs a certain amount of CP (COD Points). As you keep rolling, the price per draw increases. However, there are other small prizes, such as emotes, calling cards, and melee weapons, which players will most commonly obtain with a lower-priced draw. Adding this gacha mechanism provides a secondary high-stakes layer to an already tense, competitive game.
No longer are players just getting a thrill from winning a ranked match, but they also get to try their hand at a rare in-game item. As these top-tier cosmetics are generally pricey, they also act as a status symbol when competing against other players. A maxed-out mythic skin or gun usually comes with level 400, red-and-gold-banner yielding veterans (basically, rare skins, at times, equate skill).
The Monetization Engine: From DLC to Gacha
From a player’s perspective, these minigames are just a fun addition to an already intense or engaging gameplay loop. However, from a business standpoint, this has become an unavoidable trend that most major studios have begun following. Simply put, fixed-priced cosmetics (and other in-game goods) just no longer cut it. Instead, random monetization has proved more lucrative as a business model.
The emergence of these sophisticated gacha systems can be traced all the way back to simple loot crates, which were more prevalent in the mobile gaming and Asian markets. From there, it has become a global phenomenon as gaming took off. The ultimate target for these new systems is Whales (players who spend significantly more than average). If the rarest skin in the game is priced at $15, then that is the maximum any player is going to spend.
In comparison, a randomized system removes this limit, and these Whales can go crazy rolling for specific items or cosmetics. When put side by side, the revenue potential is exponentially higher in games that integrate these minigames, especially those with smaller player bases. A further motivation (albeit somewhat deceptive) is how the rarest item is often guaranteed last. This means you would need to make a major investment by chasing this grand prize (as we’ve seen with the CODM draws, for example).
The Retention Mechanism
Beyond spending money, developers also bank on the amount of time players invest in the game. The sheer presence of these minigames is key to having players spend more time in-game. For one, login rewards that can be used in a draw are very popular, and a great instance of this is with the Halloween Series in CODM. Players can earn tickets for simply logging in, which, in turn, can be used to claim a free or discounted spin for one of the guns.
These rewards are designed for this exact reason: to prevent player attrition and ensure they consistently return to the game. With some competitive games such as PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact, gameplay can become quite intense or overwhelming. The casino minigames allow players to take a breather, open a few reward boxes, and come back to the lobby feeling refreshed. Most importantly, the draws or wheel spins are low-effort, so players do not need to make as much effort as they do in-game.
Essentially, there is no prerequisite for high skill, as the mechanics consist of simply pushing a button. Lastly, adding a roulette wheel is generally going to be much cheaper than creating a whole new side quest, meaning the return on investment (financially and with engagement) is much higher.
The Uncomfortable Truth and Legal Grey Area
Naturally, as these minigames resemble gambling mechanics, there has been much discourse around whether they should be in non-gambling games at all. On one hand, the game mechanics are simple, provide a bit of a breather from the core gameplay, and offer fun prizes. On the other hand, it encourages players to spend money and turns F2P games into pay-to-win titles instead. Already, many gamers are frustrated with some titles, as having a specific character or weapon might automatically make it easier for a player to win.
This can create a level of unfairness for players who do not wish to spend money, grind to get to a high skill level, only to be beaten by a beginner who could afford better guns or resources. There is also some legal pushback in Belgium and the Netherlands, where loot boxes are considered a form of unregulated gambling. Developers are usually ahead of the curve with this one, ensuring players spend in-game currencies (V-bucks, COD Points, Gems) over real money. Some even go so far as making sure rewards cannot be cashed out or are non-transferable.