Commercial Feature

The victim of a soon-to-be infamous spoonerism, Jeremy Hunt, the coalition government’s culture secretary, recently announced plans to expand super-fast broadband to every area of Britain by 2015. While super-fast may be difficult to define, the government pledges to create Europe’s premier Internet service in five years’ time. This technological plan has been warmly welcomed by the burgeoning British gaming industry. Various companies including Jackpot Party specialise in online gaming and interactive entertainment.

The director general of UK Interactive Entertainment, Michael Rawlinson, said of the plans that the games industry “needs the technological infrastructure of super-fast broadband to thrive and develop ever more sophisticated forms of interactive entertainment.”

Video games have grown markedly in popularity over the past decade. This leap in popularity has coincided with the astonishing technical advancements behind this inventive genre of entertainment. Online gaming, however, can provide interaction for consumers who can now compete with fellow gamers across the World. Furthermore, this form of gaming benefits from portability which has been boosted further by the widespread emergence of smart phones.

Therefore from the comfort of your own home or while on the move, commuting by public transport for instance, Internet users can enjoy the thrills of interactive gaming. The aforementioned company pioneered the development of novel casino gaming machines which proliferated across the globe. Using its expertise, the gaming provider has now brought Jackpot Party slots to an online marketplace.

This traditional yet persistently fashionable game falls under the banner of the Jackpot Party casino, where users can experience that timeless, winning feeling while interacting with others. Accordingly, gaming sites such as these do not merely represent a transition from conventional casino games to the platform of the Internet. A vast number of games are available and all are characterised by the concept of social interaction. Many of these amusements incorporate themes from highly-celebrated films and television shows. Some include an element of skill while fans of casino classics including blackjack and roulette are catered for too.

Prospective users will be entranced by the range of promotions offered by the games provider. A welcome bonus may be considered a staple of such sites but regular users can earn points as they play which can later be redeemed for more game play. Moreover, users will soon be able to earn double points by playing selected slot games on a Monday.

As Jackpot Party’s name suggests, the fun and interaction associated with a party can be attained in an online environment. Their new feature, Jackpot Party University, sees interactive gaming married with the widespread sharing of photos, videos, offers and party guides from users. Indeed, this social networking concept is embraced by the company which regularly distributes e-newsletters filled with features, interviews, game releases and bonus offers. Thus, the website has become a microcosm of a broader social networking community as users simultaneously play games and swap information about a range of topics.

The convenience of these games, which are accessible via an Internet connection, has increased in popularity thanks to their multi-player nature. The gaming industry has historically been targeted at a young audience and specifically young males. The conversion to online gaming, however, has attracted large numbers of previously neglected female users. This under-represented demographic has responded primarily to the abundance of networking features accompanying the games.

To your average user this trend may be difficult to detect, however. A study of online gamers conducted by researchers at Nottingham Trent University found that many users switched genders while competing on the Internet. Their research discovered that up to 70 per cent of female players had chosen to assume male identities when engaging in online gaming. Despite this being less prevalent among men, 54 per cent of male players admitted to habitually swapping genders. Cyberspace therefore can provide escapism and the chance to explore a different side of your personality when interacting with others.

Users occasionally opt to manipulate gender to see what reaction they get and whether it is possible to gain a competitive advantage. In everyday life there are boundaries and limits we all observe but this virtual world permits people to explore and modify their identities.

Whether or not you choose to alter your defining characteristics, online gaming delivers escapism, social play and the adrenalin rush associated with winning. Gaming has been transformed by key technological developments but the Internet is taking these games to a new frontier, which will be characterised by interaction.