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80s-style gaming still has an incredible pull today. With the rise of emulators and retro gaming platforms, more and more gamers are turning back the decades to access old-school style experiences. Interestingly, the 80s nostalgia has also found a place at online casinos, too, especially with the rise of crash games.
Crash games are stripped-back games of chance, looking like something you would load up on a NES, Atari 2600 or ZX Spectrum. Their look and simplicity are by design, giving an old-school 80s gaming feel. Their popularity has been sudden, with the games being entrenched as a new genre of casino gaming, seemingly overnight.
Crash games have become hugely popular
So, how to explain crash games and their popularity? We can look at the examples of DraftKings Rocket and its sequel, Rocket 2, which was developed in-house by DraftKings Casino. Rocket is a typical crash game. Essentially, the player chooses a rocket, places a bet, and watches an animation of the rocket going into orbit. As the rocket soars, the prize rises. The goal is to cash out (by hitting the bail button) before the rocket stops rising, or you will lose.It sounds simple, and it’s meant to be. However, the allure arguably comes through it being a test of nerve. The game only lasts mere seconds, but your finger is hovering over the bail button to keep you fully engaged. There are, of course, different types of crash games, some of which are a little more complex, but they broadly follow the same pattern: retro graphics and gameplay, all-or-nothing mechanics, and a test of nerve.
An example of retro gaming’s popularity
While crash games have suddenly become popular, it is fair to say that it has also been mildly surprising. Casino games often mirror the evolution of video games, with bolder graphics and more advanced gameplay options, so this trip back to 80s 4-bit-style action goes against the grain. Yet, it is often the way with entertainment that a return to the past can happen when we least expect it.Take the revival of both vinyl and CD sales lately. It feels like common sense that digital music collections, such as those available on Spotify, would trump physical media, and, of course, that is the case in terms of raw numbers, but the fact that vinyl is having its best years – there’s even a vinyl revival Wikipedia page – since the 1980s shows the pull of retro.
Nostalgia alone does not explain the appeal
Of course, nostalgia is not the only draw, and, as mentioned, there is something pulsating about crash games. They are a test of nerve, and that has a universal quality that appeals to gamers of all types. That was the lightning in a bottle caught by the developers of these games. The packaging of an 80s-style retro-gaming vibe is only auxiliary to the action, and that all lies within the heart-in-the-mouth anticipation of correctly bailing out in time.What’s intriguing, though, is the deliberate choice of overall presentation. Modern casino games tend to have graphics that are almost on the video-game level, whereas crash games are completely stripped back. There are dozens of these games from major slot studios, all following the same formula. Perhaps it is an attempt to appeal to those of us who were born and raised in the 80s?
It will be interesting to see whether crash games remain popular or become something akin to a fad. The most likely outcome is that the explosion in popularity dies down a little, but all the signs are that this style of gaming – clearly inspired by 80s video games – finds a permanent niche in the online casino sector.
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