In the world of video gaming, customers expect special treatment from developers and event organizers.
A good example of this is the proliferation of VIP or gold club access that many entertainment companies provide, with everyone from nightclubs to streaming sites offering perks in return for a small extra cost.
The same is absolutely true in the world of online gaming, with many game developers and platforms doing everything they can to make their regulars and new players feel at home.
Here are some of the ways that such online gaming companies are looking after their prized customers, even sometimes providing neat features free of charge.
Home Games Give Players Control of the Guestlist
One of the areas of online gaming where exclusivity is always a big draw is that of classic card games like poker, where players can choose who gets to join them on the virtual felt.
This makes for particularly dramatic or even hyper-competitive matches, which take on a different dimension from those found on more publicly accessible games and tournaments.
What makes such a poker “home game” option even more alluring, is that it can include private leader boards, personalized player statistics, and club management tools among other features. Such things are easier to set up than you would think, allowing anyone to feel like a poker VIP for no extra charge.
Brick and Mortar Venues Give Rise to eSports Clubs and Cliques
While most gamers organize and congregate online these days, the rise of standalone eSports arenas has meant that barriers between players can be further broken down by them meeting face to face.
This means if you and your peers wish to test run a new game or find out once and for all who is the best battle royale player among you, then you can book out a private gaming suite at an eSports arena or just plug into its superfast broadband and state-of-the-art hardware.
Such venues usually charge a monthly subscription, although day or week passes are sometimes available as well. With more spaces opening up all over the globe, it is only a matter of time before you can experience the buzz of one of these high-tech gaming lairs.
Specially Designed Online Platforms Geared to Bring Gamers Together
With many gamers spending a pretty penny or two on their home gaming setup, many are loath to venture too far from home to get their gaming kicks.
With that in mind, there are some online gaming arenas that have essentially taken the best aspects of brick-and-mortar eSports arenas and brought them online.
One of the best of these is Planet9, whose aim is to build a whole gaming universe online, where players can compete against those of their own ability level until they eventually rise to become gaming wizards.
Then there is BattleFy, which not only lets players join pre-existing tournaments and arenas, but also allows individuals or groups to organize their very own competitions.
Games Themselves Build Communities
Of course, you can build the best online home game, the most sophisticated live eSports arena, or tailor your online gaming platform to perfection, but if the games themselves do not encourage interaction between players then all these initiatives are bound to fail.
Luckily, there are lots of games that bring gamers out of their shell, be it Texas Hold’em poker platforms encouraging players to fling funny emojis at each other, or battle royale titles like Call of Duty requiring strangers to team up and work together in order to survive.
Ultimately, it is the games themselves that bring people from all over the world together, to race, do a battle, puzzle, and play the hours away in a friendly environment.
