Gaming is now firmly in the mainstream of entertainment, captivating and engaging more people than ever before, and there’s nothing anecdotal about that notion. In fact, surveys in Australia indicated that since 2022, more than 80% of the adult population regularly plays games, whether via desktop or mobile platforms.
And according to many surveys conducted, one of the main reasons cited for playing games is to keep the brain active. Well, few genres can do that better than strategy, using all manner of themes and styles to stretch our imaginations and test our capacities for critical thinking.
Blackjack
Online casinos have been around in Australia since the mid-1990s, and one of the staple games that has consistently attracted players is blackjack, often considered as being easy to play but difficult to master. This timeless card game pits the player against the dealer, competing for the highest hands up to 21 and without going over. The term “blackjack” refers to scoring 21 with an ace and picture card.
These days most people play online blackjack at reputable casino sites, where the game has continued to evolve, offering more variants on the core theme of the original game. These typically require plenty of thought and attention to detail, and many players attempt formulate strategies to beat the dealer, usually based around mathematical probabilities. Overall, blackjack games have attracted a large audience of Aussie enthusiasts.
MOBA
Regarded by many players as a sub-genre of strategy, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games have become hugely popular over the last decade. The core idea revolves around team battles across a map or arena, as players control unique characters, each with their own unique sets of attributes and skills. One of the main challenges involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of those characters, when challenging opposing players.
Some of the most famous MOBA games include Dota 2 and League of Legends, which are now the focus of attention for major esports competitions and championships. Indeed, one of the most strategic Aussie gamers of all time is Anathan Pham, aka “ana” in tournaments, who has earned more than $12 million AUD in Dota 2 event prize money.
4X
What could be more strategic than managing the fate of an entire empire? Well, that’s the aim of 4X strategy games, and the name of the sub-genre is based around the four E’s that are typically involved: Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate. And if players can get all four of those key elements under their dominion, they have a good chance of achieving ultimate victory. Also, the 4X genre is now stacked with diverse and exciting concepts.
Perhaps the most famous and enduring 4X game is Sid Meier’s Civilization, with the original version released by Microprose back in 1991, which eventually led to an entire series of games and several spin-off titles, including Civilization: Beyond Earth released in 2014. Inspired by board and tabletop games like Risk, adding technology trees brought an additional layer to the strategy involved, taking their nations from the dawn of civilisation to the modern era, conquering or forming alliances along the way.
Wargames
Although they generally come in a wide variety of flavours, the wargame sub-genre is very much strategic at heart, where critical thinking and key decisions can genuinely shape the final outcome. Analytical capability important for players, who must command multiple facets of a military campaign or struggle for global supremacy, whether the setting is based around our own world or themed on science fiction and space conquests.
Often seen in grand strategy titles like the Hearts of Iron series by Paradox, multiple strategic skills are needed, such as developing tactics for battles, managing units and resources, and carefully choosing rivalries or alliances. Such games often require detailed human user micromanagement or the ability to delegate tasks, assessing the skills and attributes of NPC characters that can also feature in gameplay.