From Casino Jackpots to Mario Auctions: Incredible Records From Across Gaming

The gaming world is an incredibly rich and varied place at the moment. Many people still enjoy playing titles on PC and console, while mobile gaming has also become massive in recent years as well.

There is plenty of interest in other experiences too, with online casino sites attracting many players and iconic characters and titles from yesteryear finding a new lease of life thanks to retro gaming trends.

All in all, the scale of the industry means there is always plenty going on. However, while the sector may generate plenty of headlines, one development related to a classic title has really stuck out in recent weeks.

Hitting new heights

According to VGC, a new world record for the most expensive video game ever has recently been set.

The game in question is a sealed, rare version of the NES title Super Mario Bros 3, which was originally released in 1990. Heritage Auctions has recently confirmed that it has been bought at auction for a massive $156,000. Interestingly, the title broke a record which has actually only stood for a few months, as a copy of the original Super Mario Bros sold in July for $114,000.

Seeing such figures quoted in relation to video games is truly incredible, but it does also raise one question – what are the other impressive records which have been set in the gaming industry in the last few years? Here, we take a look at just a few which are well worth exploring.

The largest slot jackpot

Royal Panda’s jackpot page discusses how the Mega Moolah slot has become a big name in the online casino world due to its reputation for setting records for payouts. A British player won around €17.8 million in 2015 on the game, while that was broken in 2018 when a payout of €18.9 million was reached.

The site adds that the slot features four different progressive jackpots, ranging from mini to mega. For the uninitiated, a progressive jackpot means that the cash prizes on offer rise in value each time someone plays the game, so the prize pool value goes up until an individual wins.

The biggest eSports prize pool

Sticking with money matters for the moment, the world of eSports has also enjoyed a huge surge in interest across the last few years. For many of us, playing games was once all about having bragging rights over friends, but, these days, gaming is a much more serious business.

The Dota 2 event The International is renowned for generating huge prize pools; and this year was no different. According to the Guinness World Records site, the pool for the 2020 event reached $40 million, with that making it the biggest prize pool for a single eSports tournament.

Biggest mobile game launch

Mobile gaming has reached a whole new level of success in recent times, and this was put in the spotlight last year by the launch of a new title in the Call of Duty franchise.

According to Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence estimates, Call of Duty Mobile generated more than 100 million downloads globally in its first week of availability. The organisation stated that this meant the title had enjoyed the best launch of any mobile game ever released.

Going from strength to strength

Gaming has gone from strength to strength in recent years and that is undoubtedly highlighted by the incredible records featured above.

It will be fascinating to see how the industry continues to develop and which other records may end up being set in the months ahead.