The Witcher 3’s ‘Gwent’ and the Legacy of Games of Chance

In 2015, CD Projekt Red released the third installment video game of an award-winning and beloved fantasy series, The Witcher. The success of the games and books even spawned a Netflix series featuring Henry Cavill. The Witcher 3 would redefine the open-world genre, and many AAA titles still struggle to capture what The Witcher 3 managed to achieve all those years ago.

Players, in their own time, can journey across a sprawling map with hundreds of hours worth of gameplay. It takes some time to slay monsters, you know. But it isn't just traversing the beautiful yet frightening open world that keeps players accumulating their playing hours. The fictional card game, Gwent, has some part to play in this. Some players are fine settling down in the White Orchard Inn and participating in Gwent – forget about the duties of a Witcher! Many players enjoy this aspect of the game. So much so, that a separate digital game was released in 2018: GWENT: The Witcher Card Game.

How Gwent Works

In the simplest of terms, to play Gwent, players must place a wager. When the match starts, the first turn of the player is determined by the toss of a coin. Each player then draws 10 cards from their deck – players can exchange two cards if they need to, and each player takes turns placing cards until someone passes through the three rounds or runs out of cards. Each card adds strength to the overall score of one side and the player with the highest score wins. That's Gwent in a nutshell!

The Legacy of Games of Chance

You may think it's an unlikely pairing, but if you look closely, there are some similarities between Gwent and online casinos. Gwent is, in the Witcher world, a card game based on skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck. Some cards are more powerful than others, and players need to find smart ways of beating their opponents. Ring any bells? Classic casino games like poker and blackjack follow a similar premise. For online casino fans, they could feel right at home with a game of Gwent. However, unlike blackjack and poker, Gwent arguably has more depth; there are plenty of factions within the game which results in many cards. The strength of these cards also changes in new updates, constantly changing the way players adapt to the game.

With that being said, it certainly keeps the game feeling fresh, and no doubt helps players feel engaged. When we think about online casinos, the idea of providing regular updates to consistently provide a fresh experience is noticeable, too – even though it's not just focused on one game like Gwent. Many online casino sites regularly update online slot promotions with incentives like the casino welcome bonus UK being one of them. This can sometimes provide free slot spins for players or the chance of winning bigger rewards, altering the experience they have in the games. Gwent may not have welcome bonuses like these, but the way both parties maintain their content definitely provides the benefit of encouraging more players.

Conclusion

Gwent has been a hit with fans ever since the release of The Witcher 3. It's a change of pace for players, and it's a game that's clearly been developed with a passion for card games. Whether the developers meant for it to become so successful, who knows? But a dive into the similarities of the game and online casinos is certainly an interesting one.