Slot Machine Science: Designing Games for Maximum Engagement

Slots take up the majority of the floor space in landbased casinos, and form the bulk of the games library of any online casino. They are by far the most popular casino game both online and in brick and mortar casinos. Another thing to note, is that slots players are by far the most eclectic of the casino gamers.

Unlike other games, slots have the most diverse array of players, with very personal gaming preferences. A player may fancy big bonus jackpots, while the other would rather hit games with all types of add-ons and bonuses. Or we could compare a player who looks for a specific theme, whereas the other may find comfort in the old classic fruit machines. There are so many different types of slots, and developers continuously push boundaries to bring us more original games. And they know what we like, and find new ways to max out our engagement with player-centric titles.

Games That Enrichen the Experience

The onus on casino operators is to attract players and beat the tremendous competition. They do this by providing better bonuses, easier and more payment options, streamlined support and creating a bespoke, attractive user interface. But arguably the biggest selling point of any casino is its games collection. The games library must have it all, catering to the needs of virtually every slots player. And it is not just about having more games than other operators, but figuring out which games players desire most.

Casino owners must use analytics and stats to work out which games players want, and these figures help them choose which slots to add to their portfolio. As an owner, you wouldn’t want to alienate any players, so you must have all your bases covered. Then, there are the new titles that continuously hit the shelves. Operators must figure out which ones will hype up their existing customer base, and possibly expand it, attracting new members.

Player Centric Slots Features

Some slots will immediately attract players, but can’t really sustain their excitement for longer gaming sessions. The best slots an operator can hope for are the ones that remain exciting, even after hours or multiple sessions. We are talking about slots with special features, or combinations of features. Every day developers are looking for new ideas to make more player-centric games. They can use many different tools, including special symbols, different mechanics, and bonus games.

The only conditions that they must observe, are to create algorithms that ensure the outcomes are random, and the house has a slight edge. Taking these into account, slots developers have a grand array of features that they can use to make their games stand out.

Innovative Mechanics

The original slot machine mechanics included reels, simple symbols, and fixed paylines. You win when you land a sequence of matching symbols across one of the paylines. However, nowadays there are so many more types of mechanics that developers use. For example, the implementation of wild symbols, ways pays, Megaways, cascading reels, and expanding symbols have completely changed the way slots work. Slots developers look for ways to combine different types of features, or create new types of mechanics.

Wild symbols substitute for any other symbol to create a winning combination. Though there are numerous ways that wilds can appear in a game. For instance, some wilds may have their own payouts, or games may have sticky wilds that stay on the reels for the next spin. Expanding wilds will cover an entire column, and help to build numerous paylines.

Megways are a popular mechanic in slot machines where the number of ways to win and reels change after each spin. It basically keeps players on their toes and creates a more dynamic, exciting gameplay for players to get stuck into. Another popular mechanic is cluster pays, or ways pays. In this system, the game doesn’t use fixed payline paths, but pays out if you have landed matching symbols next to each other. Landing enough adjacent symbols can pay out.

Cascading reels are another mechanic, where the winning symbols fall off the reels and are replaced with new ones. If you win, you can win again if another winning line forms with the replaced symbols. And what happens if you win again? Those symbols will cascade off the reels, allowing more symbols to take their place.

Bonus Games

Another crucial part of slots play is bonus games and respins. Bonus rounds can be triggered when you meet the necessary conditions. In most games, this is when you land enough scatter symbols across the grid after a spin. However, there are also games with meters that you fill up through gameplay. Once they are filled, you trigger a bonus round.

The bonus round can either be a complimentary game, within the slot. Or, it can be a number of respins on the reels, with extra features to enhance the round. The principle is that when you have triggered this round, you don’t stake any more money. The game then proceeds to rack up a prize through the bonus rounds, which you will win once the round has concluded. The majority of slots have bonus rounds, but they are not all built the same. For instance, you may play a game that doesn’t have a bonus game involving reels and symbols. Instead, it may have a simple picking game or another type of game to keep you busy.

Jackpots and Progressives

Bonus games and highest payouts should not be confused with jackpot games. Jackpot games have a fixed top prize that you can win. Whether you can win it through the base game, or unlock it through a bonus game depends on the slot machine. Some games have multiple-tier jackpots, where you can win a Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand, offering different rewards. Others may have one fixed jackpot that you play to win.

Then, there are progressives, in which the jackpot prize constantly increases. Every time a player spins the reels, a portion of their stake is fed to the pot. There are standalone progressives, in which the pot grows when someone plays that specific game. Then, there are linked progressives, in which numerous games share the same pot, thus the jackpot prize grows a lot quicker. When someone wins the jackpot, the pot is reset to its starting value and begins building again.

Jackpot games draw huge attention at casinos. The best ones create engagement with not only jackpot hunters but other players too. You can still have fun even if you don’t win the jackpot. Funnily enough, a lot of novice players head to regular slots with no jackpot. They may be turned off at their chances of winning the big prize, but what they don’t know, is that these games can be profitable even without hitting the major prize. The best jackpot slots are anyway.

Slot Themes, Brands and Series

Slots players have their own preferences when it comes to the games theme and characters. Developers have used countless themes, based on historical civilisations, nature, fantasy, and virtually everything else. Here are some of the most popular slots themes that you will come across: Adventure, Asian, Egyptian, Fantasy, Fruit, Christmas, Irish, Viking, Space, Roman, Ancient Greek, Fairytale, Animals, Horror, and Holidays. Though there are countless more.

Another hit among slots players is branded games. These are slots that are based on TV shows, movies, books, or other pop culture. For instance, there are slots based on the Goonies, Walking Dead, Mario, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and the Peaky Blinders, just to name a few. These games will naturally attract the attention of anyone who likes those series, shows, or films.

Then, there are slots that have come up with their own characters and stories, going on to become classics in the world of slots. Developers have added more games using the same characters, to build a series based on the original slot machine. The most famous of which, arguably, is the Rich Wilde adventure slots series. It all started with Rich Wilde and the Aztec Symbols, released back in 2013. Since then, Play’n GO has gone on to produce numerous games to expand the series. Book of Dead, Tome of Madness, and the Amulet of Dead.

There are numerous slots series, and they don’t necessarily stick to a specific character or theme. These include Bonanza, 777 Series, John Hunter, WowPot!, Age of the Gods, Gonzo’s Quest, and the Sizzling Hot series.

Playing Slots from Popular Studios

Some players have preferred slots developer studios, and will naturally be inclined towards games released by their favorite studios. It may be because those specific studios add unique elements to their games or players just find them more fun than other developers’ offerings. It could even be out of a superstition that those games bring the most luck.

Casino operators can filter the engagement based on the software providers, and find out which ones are the most popular. Some of the bigger providers can even link up numerous games and create multi-link progressives. Or, they have the resources to release new games on a regular basis. You may have heard of some of the following software providers.

• BGaming
• Evolution
• Hacksaw Gaming
• Microgaming
• Playtech
• Pragmatic Play

How Casinos Pick Games to Boost Engagement

To increase their pool of players, casinos need to provide an all-encompassing slots portfolio. It has to have themed games, jackpots, popular software providers, and what we like to call “play the feature” slots. Some casual players will dabble in all kinds of slots, and those who are more picky about the games they play. To meet all their requirements, they have to have a tremendous volume of games.

But that is not all. The interface must be easy to use, and you should be able to find games that you want to play. The top online casinos use AI technology to work out the preferences of each of their users. They can then give them good game recommendations, and find out which games they are most likely to enjoy. On top of that, they can also make bonuses that are tied to a player’s favorite games, ensuring they can use the bonuses to fund their gameplay.

The hardest part is not in finding out which games are the hottest. But instead figuring out which of the latest slots on the market would do best in their library. A lot of casinos have themes or specific niches to stand out. For instance, an Ancient Egyptian-themed casino must provide a huge array of appropriately themed slots. Or a casino that breathes Las Vegas has to have plenty of old classics and contemporary Vegas-style slots. It is all about giving players the games they want and expect to find. That way, casinos can stay true to their base demographic, and attract more players.