Top trending games of 2023 show Australia’s competitive spirit
It matters not who won or lost but how you played the game – it’s a commendable sentiment, and there is debate over who said it first. Some credit it to sports writer turned poet Grantland Rice, but it probably goes back a lot longer than that, maybe to Ancient Greece.
On one matter we can be confident. It wasn’t written by an Australian. The Aussies have a reputation for being friendly, generous and easygoing. That reputation is well earned, and you won’t meet nicer people. Unless, that is, you engage in any sort of competitive activity with them.
Whether it is a result of the relatively small talent pool – Australia’s population is only 25 million – or some other compulsion to prove their worth, Australians have a “win at all costs” attitude. Fans of international cricket and rugby will know that already, and Aussies play sport to win medals, not friends. But we also see that competitive streak reflected in the most popular games that are trending with casual gamers.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is an instant classic
Released late last year, this latest iteration of the classic FPS title was an instant success Down Under. It provided PlayStation and Xbox fans a little respite in a market that seemed to be ready to consign console gaming to the pages of history.
This is the second iteration of the reboot, but the nineteenth Call of Duty title all told, and it shows. Like a new recipe from a master chef who has spent years in the kitchen, this game is the sum of its predecessors, with every aspect of gameplay refined and optimized. Just to add some local pride, it’s worth noting that Melbourne studio Sledgehammer Games played a key role in developing the game.
Keno has Australians in its thrall
The first Call of Duty game was released in 2003. That’s quite some time, but our next game has a heritage that goes back even further. According to apocryphal history, Chinese Emperor Cheung Leung invented the game 3,000 years ago to raise funds for repairs to the Great Wall of China. Today, Keno is an integral part of Australian culture, and you’ll see games advertised at pubs and casinos.
Just like those original games 3,000 years ago, Keno generates income from entry fees and shares this out between prize money for winners and profits set aside for worthy causes. A little like the Lotto, players know that even if they don’t win, they are contributing to a good cause.
Of course, that doesn’t resonate with the win-at-all-costs attitude we mentioned earlier. However, when playing Keno online, via an Australian online casino platform, it tends to be more competitive as it is usually more business-like with lower margins and bigger prizes.
NBA2K is all about the competition
We mentioned Australians and sport a moment ago. Cricket, rugby, and Aussie rules football remain popular, but basketball is rapidly joining them as one of the most popular sports Down Under. Last year, viewership of the NBA in Australia went up by 35 percent, and there are now eight Australian players on the NBA rosters. It’s not always easy to get two teams together for an impromptu game of cricket or rugby, but it is easy to throw some hoops and competition is fierce regardless of numbers. NBA 2K is the gaming equivalent and sales had barely slowed on the 2023 iteration before NBA 2K24 launched at the beginning of September.
