Gambling has been around for hundreds of years at this point. In fact, so has science fiction. While it might seem strange, these two have often gone hand in hand. They’re two pastimes that are surprisingly similar. Both have one eye firmly looking into the future, each one has visions of better times to come and sometimes things can end up not quite as you intended.
With online gambling becoming more and more popular by the day, some would say that the future has already come to gambling. Especially with live dealer games becoming such a fixture at online casinos. So, if the future has already come to gambling, how has gambling come to the future? We’ve taken a look at some of the top examples of gambling within the world of sci-fi.
Star Wars
It might come as no surprise that a lot of gambling in science fiction is linked to card games. There’s a good reason for this, card games have been around for a long time. They haven’t shown any sign of vanishing yet and it’s unlikely they will in the future. No matter what we use to travel, there’s a good chance that someone will be playing a card game on the way.
Star Wars is no different. In fact, gambling within Star Wars actually plays a big part in the story of the franchise. The main game that is played within the Star Wars universe is Sabacc. This is the game that Han Solo and Lando Calrissian were playing when Han won the Millenium Falcon.
The game is actually a variation of Poker, and can actually be played in real life. Gambling is a big part of the Star Wars universe. Sabacc also has a number of different variations in place which makes it even more like Poker.
Star Trek
Star Trek is actually a show that mixes both the future and the current world. In Star Trek the gambling is actually based around a game in the current world. Both times that gambling has been shown in the show it’s been based around Poker. It’s actually been used for humorous effect both times. It has been used in the original series and The Next Generation.
In the original series Spock introduces Poker as a game from the old world of Earth. It’s quite a funny moment and really draws a laugh. That’s nothing compared to how it’s portrayed in The Next Generation. In this Data is unable to realize the human element of the game and only approaches it from a mathematical standpoint. The results are hilarious and it really provides some fun to a normally serious show.
Obviously, the gambling aspect is underplayed, but for a show that shows a post scarcity society, it’s a fun little aside that shows the fun of gambling.
Fallout
The world of Fallout is one of the most diverse and interesting in the world of gaming. It shows a post apocalyptic world where currency has devolved into being bottle caps. The science fiction world of Fallout is one that has endured for a number of years now and each new release is always extremely well received. Just like other sci-fi franchises it has its own gambling game in there.
The card game in Fallout is called Caravan. It’s kind of like Blackjack. The aim is to build the best caravan possible, which is the name for a pile of cards. If a caravan has a value below 21 then it is too light to be sent. If it has a value over 26 then it’s too heavy to be sent. So the aim is to hit 26. It’s a fun and enjoyable game and an easy way for players to earn more bottlecaps. It’s one of many fun little mini games that are included in Fallout, but it’s the main one that’s linked to gambling. It shows that even in the world where the apocalypse has taken place, people still have time to play cards and gamble.
Comic Books
It’s too hard to just choose one aspect in comics that’s related to gambling. There are a lot of characters and different comic books that are related to gambling that we’ve just chosen our favorites to cover.
First up is the classic character that everyone thinks of when it comes to comics and gambling. Gambit. The reason he carries a pack of cards is partly because they are easy to charge and fire at enemies, but also because gambling is something he often used to get by. If you love sci-fi and gambling, then Gambit is a character that you will instantly be aware of.
The second one is a little less well known, but he’s still a character who’s come up against Superman and Green Lantern a number of times. The Gambler. It’s not just a name, he is a highly skilled gambler and he uses those skills to help create some high level strategies.
These are just a few examples of where gambling has mixed in with the world of science fiction, it’s actually much more common than you think. Perhaps it’s because deep down, gambling is what we all do every day of our lives.
