Date Published: 09/01/2024
Navigating Spain's online gaming culture: Trends and favourites
by Jamie Wall
We live in a digital era and have access to all forms of online entertainment. This has changed economies and entertainment businesses all over the globe. It also allowed consumers to access more diverse content. It has also turned online video games into global sensations that connect players from all corners of the world.
Different geographies have different histories, cultures and customs. These are all external factors that shape how we experience the world, how we think, and even form our opinions and preferences. As a result, the culture of online gaming is going to be different in every region. Sure the same online gaming titles are available but their popularity varies. Here we will mainly focus on Spain’s online gaming culture, go over the titles or genres that are popular there, and why.
Online casinos and gambling
Gambling is a common hobby throughout Europe and the US. Thanks to multiple regulatory bodies that are recognised by the EU, Spain has access to legal online gaming sites where they can gamble for real money. What’s more,
no deposit bonus UK casino sites are on the rise, making this hobby even more accessible. It’s easy to find no deposit slots and gamble with little to no risk. All one needs is an account on a site that currently has a free slots no deposit promo active. Once someone burns through that bonus they can always create a new account on a different casino.
Given their competitive nature and love for football, betting on sports is also prevalent in
Spain. Around 44% of bettors do this out of the desire to win money, while 37% claim they simply enjoy sports more when there is something at stake for them. Another fun fact is that gambling is more popular in Spain compared to its neighbouring countries and that around 60% of all men and women, love to play luck-based games.
eSports scene
Spain strongly supports its superstar athletes and when it comes to eSports they have some of the best players in Europe and the World. One of the biggest eSports teams G2 eSports is from Spain, and they are frequently competing in big tournaments. G2 eSports has a team for every popular online game:
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- League of Legends
- Valorant
- Rocket League
- Call of Duty
- Fortnite
- SIM Racing
Recently
G2 has triumphed over T1, the current world champion in LoL, during Red Bull’s League of Legends event. What’s more a Legendary LOL player Xpeke (Enrique Cedeño Martinez) is also from Spain. So, it’s easy to see how their gaming culture would mostly revolve around eSports. They want to foster new talent and live up to their name.
Casual mobile games
Online gaming free apps are now installed on pretty much any phone. Whether you are a gamer or not these kinds of apps will always be popular, because they are ideal for 20-minute breaks, or while waiting for public transport. Apps like Clash of Clans, Candy Crush, Coin Master, and Brawl Stars are commonly played in Spain.
Supporting local studios
There are lots of people working in this sector, and locals want to support the economy and help the online gaming jobs grow. There are
over 40 gaming studios in Spain, some domestic and some are just extensions of big international companies like Ubisoft and Konami. As a result, certain titles are more popular in Spain compared to the rest of the world.
- Metroid Dread - Nintendo and MercurySteam
- Blacksad: Under the Skin - Pendulo Studios and Microïds
- The Red Strings Club and Gods Will Be Watching - Deconstructeam
- Blasphemous - The Game Kitchen
- Dragon City, Monster Legends, and Tasty Town - Socialpoint
Not all of these are online games or require you to play with others to enjoy them, but the overall experience is better if you have an Internet connection.
The online gaming culture in Spain is strong. Their esports scene is pretty much identical to the one in the US, and widely popular mobile games have a big player base here. Casino games like slots, blackjack, and poker and frequent picks among gambling enthusiasts, and betting on football is very common. There are lots of development studios that are based in Spain, so they have more success in this market compared to the rest of Europe and the US.
Jamie Wall has extensive experience in game development and has even worked for one of the top companies in the iGaming space. He closely follows the trends and news about the tech and gaming industry and has published posts in the Times of Malta. Jamie currently focuses on reviews and detailed evaluation of online gambling sites, to help gamblers pick a reliable operator.