The modern casino floor looks nothing like the old ones we used to see. By strolling through the flashing lights and visual displays of the contemporary slot machines, you can relate to the elements if you are a gaming enthusiast. Plenty of today’s slots are equipped with elaborate progression systems that employ the very same techniques adopted in video games. Thus, players can be continuously engaged with the gameplay and not want to stop.
However, the slots we see today are not the same as the ones we used to see. They have been changed into narrative arcs, character development, and achievement systems, thus becoming a source of fun for the players, just like console and mobile games.
The union of classic gambling mechanics and video game design concepts has led to a new wave of games that blur the distinction between gambling and gaming.
Game developers are aware that the psychological hooks that draw players to play a game for hours are just as useful in casino games. Cross-pollination of concepts has seen a previously plain luck-based game turned into something much more interesting and, at least in theory, addictive.
Leveling Up the Experience
If you’ve ever played role-playing games, chances are that you’re familiar with leveling up—whereby you gain experience points to unlock new abilities or content. Today’s slots have adopted the same concept.
Rather than merely spinning the reels, a lot of new slots monitor your play time. The more you play, the more rewards and benefits you get to unlock, such as increased bonuses or special features.
This development can take the form of collecting particular symbols over several spins to build a meter, gaining access to mini-games with increasing awards, or moving forward in theme-based “worlds” in the game’s story. The sense of accomplishment resulting from incremental movement reinforces a desire to play, much like with standard video games.
Narrative Arcs and Character Development
Some of the most advanced video game borrowing takes the shape of narrative. Many contemporary slot machines have intricate stories that are realized over the course of play.
Characters can have backstories, personalities, and dialogue that change over the course of your session. Some slots have branching storylines where player decisions are what guide the direction of the story.
These narrative aspects play more than one purpose. They build emotional investment over and above the incentive to win money and give meaning to the different bonus features and gameplay mechanics, and make the experience more memorable. When a player becomes invested in a game’s characters or narrative, they are more apt to come back to it specifically rather than merely play a random machine.
Achievement Systems and Collections
Achievement systems that are a standard feature of contemporary video gaming have now made their way into slot game development. Virtual badges, trophies, or sets that players can fulfill with prolonged play are now a feature of many slots.
Achievements can involve striking precise combinations, activating special bonus rounds, or achieving certain challenges within the game. The beauty of such systems is that, alongside gaining money, there are additional objectives to be met.
Even beyond the prospect of a jackpot, players will play a specific game to fill in a gap in their collection or to get that one elusive accomplishment. This second level of stimulus can greatly prolong play and encourage a more intense level of engagement with the game.
Social Elements and Competitive Features
Video games have enjoyed a long history of harnessing social competition as a driving mechanism, and slot machines are not far behind. Leaderboards, tournaments, or group bonus rounds where players can compete with each other or work together towards a common goal are included in many contemporary slots.
These social factors turn what was a traditionally solitary activity into a more communal one. The need to ascend the leaderboard or build a group bonus can be every bit as compelling as the prospect of financial reward, providing a further incentive to play.
Conclusion
The adoption of video game progression systems by slots is an interesting development in gaming design. Such borrowed mechanics have certainly enriched slots by making them more interesting and more entertaining, providing experiences that are much more than the basic pull-and-hope mechanism of classic slots.
The inclusion of layers of progression, storytelling, accomplishments, and community aspects all provide various routes of involvement that have the potential to attract various categories of players. Such development is not controversy-free.
The same processes that make video games so engaging illustrate the way that such progression systems are constructed to promote repeated play. As such design practices continue to evolve, both the gaming and regulatory industries will have to consider very closely the effects of such advanced engagement methods.
What is certain, however, is that the boundary between gambling and video games will continue to erode, with each taking increasing cues from the playbook of the other. For players, this results in more immersive experiences, but it also demands a larger dose of awareness of just exactly how those masterfully constructed progression systems are designed to encourage us to play a little longer.
