The next step for slots

During my time at Sigma Software, we have been producing video pokers, blackjacks, roulettes, high-low games, casino variants of poker, dice games, and of course slot games.

The situation remained pretty much the same for many years. But recently, the games offering has decreased considerably. It seems that only slot games ‘matter’ now. They prevail in our assignments with the inclusion of a few table games. It may be the case that our clients prefer to engage us in slots development. However, the market tendency shows that there are 90% of slots and only 10% of all other types of casino games.

What is the reason for such a drastic change in the proportion of game type published?

Most of the talks regarding casino game production over the past years are about the engagement of the new generation – young people. The current focus on slot games intends to help game studios attract the attention of youngsters.

Many game publishers are experimenting with art and animations, and they reach noticeable success. Some slots are stunning and look rather like a movie. In addition to outstanding visuals, certain game studios have demonstrated nice moves with audio and the way to use it in the game.

Though all the effort with game mathematics, art, and audio definitely appeal to the young generation, there are more steps needed to win their attention. One of them is the mobile-first approach. Young people will never play casino on a desktop or laptop – it is for work and not for entertainment. I’m glad to see some companies implement this approach and design games with mobile in mind.  And even more credit if you design portrait first – younger generations will use the phone in a portrait mode, whether you like it or not.

Another thing that can be improved in slots is a game idea. Notwithstanding the ongoing changes in the slot development approach, I see that the majority of game studios stick to regular slots. Five spinning reels, unoriginal winning lines, no interaction, no logic, and no sense in the winning combinations.

Time for change

Maybe I am too rational, but I would prefer to have a little bit more sense in casino games to make them interesting. It is clear that the sense of casino games is money. At the same time, by saying “sense,” I want to emphasise the idea behind the game and some logic in the gameplay.

An example of this type of game is below, which seemingly looks like a slot, and actually is a slot. But what makes it outstanding is the connection to reality.

Just think about it – only casino table games, like blackjack, roulette, poker, and dice have this advantage. In contrast to them, most of the slots are quite fantastic, fictional, and have no connection to a player’s real-life experience.

Each of us will be more attracted if there is some bridge that connects us as a personality with the game. If there is a link between the game and the gamer’s personality, it is easier for a gamer to start playing and keep them engaged.

Another thing based on reality is game mechanics. There are many slot games with a football theme, and what I miss in them is any connection to the football itself. The games that I’ve seen force a player to collect certain symbols – players, balls, referees. Is it really about football?

Being a true fan, I seek for a feeling of the match even if I play a casino game. In this example, a player wins when there is a line from the footballer with a ball, through teammates, and to the gates. So, the footballers pass the ball to each other and score a goal. It is a little bit schematic but it is more about football than about casino, and I think players will like it.

There are tons of possibilities to explore and implement, and it’s time to do it. I truly believe that we face market saturation with similar slot games. We are exploiting more or less the same ideas, but with different wrappings. If you want to achieve different results, you have to learn to do different things!

Sergey Logvinenko is an expert in egaming domain, leading gambling direction, and managing projects inside Sigma Software, delivery and doing account management from 2008 for Boss Media, GTECH, IGT, Play’n GO, Northern Lights and other companies.