CasinoBeats spoke with representatives of three developers who gave their opinion on the monotony of slots, and whether slot machines really lack originality.
The speakers included Marcus Honney (MH) Managing Director of AvatarUX, Dylan Slane (DS SG) Senior Vice President of Casino at Scientific Games Digital, Robert Lee (RL) Commercial Director of Realistic Games and David Stoveld (DS) Senior Game Product Owner at Yggdrasil. Read the translation of part of the conversation below.
With so many slots on the market, how difficult is it to create something innovative?
DS (SG): Highly competitive game makes it really harder to stand out from the crowd, but it also forces developers to think differently and put more effort into creating what -something new. It's simple, if your games don't offer exciting features or an engaging theme, players won't touch them.
Innovation comes in many forms, from the mechanics that define gameplay (including responsible gaming tools) to the kind of experience we get from the games themselves. Social gaming opportunities within the real betting market is an interesting area and will become an important part of the online casino gaming experience in the near future. The ability to interact with others and feel like part of a team is an attractive idea for gamers, especially millennials.
Our innovative new Syndicated Jackpots feature allows groups of people to win together and increase the chances of winning big in a slot game. A first-of-its-kind product that allows players to join others to win a percentage of a larger jackpot together, which adds a sense of community to the gaming experience.
RL: Too many companies in the industry take the easy way out when it comes to slot design, they use the fact that innovation is hard to create as an excuse for not trying. In general, if it were as difficult as some claim, we wouldn't have so many innovative products and concepts that are already on the market.
Pushing boundaries takes time and effort, but when you reach your goal, you get a lot more out of these experiments than if you sit and watch others come up with new ideas.
MH: Game designers should always be aware of what is available technologically and analyze what opportunities have been missed. Come from your own experience and you will always create something personal and ultimately unique. Collaboration is key, and that's the approach we take at AvatarUX.
It also benefits from being flexible. Keeping a goal in mind is certainly useful, but one of the most interesting aspects of the development process is what surprises it throws at you. If you're flexible enough and surrounded by the best, you'll always create something that really stands out. The often-cited American lawyer Oliver Wendell Holmes once said "many ideas grow better when they are transplanted into a different brain than where they originated."
DS: It's not hard to come up with something new and unique, the challenge is to create a really innovative and successful product, which I think is what makes working in this industry so exciting. At Yggdrasil, innovation is part of our essence and we are always looking to come up with new mechanics, concepts and features to stand out in the crowd.
To give you a couple of examples, in our Jungle Books slot, we developed the fusion realms mechanic, where five different symbols representing five different worlds can combine. We are also very proud of the Berzerk mode in our Viking series as it is a truly unique slot mechanic that successfully engages players in a story where your mission is to capture the main characters. It was an incredible success story and the mechanics still have a fan base even after all these years.
But in general, I believe that a complete understanding of player preferences and behaviors combined, along with the interaction between all internal teams, are key factors in allowing us to continue to create innovative ideas, such as our new and trademarked, sub-branded Splitz mechanics. and Gigablox, which were introduced this year.
Do you feel that originality is sacrificed for simplicity when just making changes to a successful product?
MH: There will always be copies of games, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Different markets require different themes, but the core game can remain the same. This does not mean that innovation has disappeared. Just when we thought live casino studios had reached their limit, Monopoly was born - essentially a Wheel of Fortune with bonus features and great bonus features that clearly show that originality is alive and kicking in our industry. And this is just one of the many games developed over the past few years. Innovation is not sacrificed - you just have to be persistent to find it, and that's exactly what we at AvatarUX do.
DS (SG): It all comes down to what players want from playing slots. Classic game themes exist because they are familiar to the audience and encourage players to come back for more. Therefore, we will continue to see games that use leprechauns, Greek gods, and sparkling diamonds because they are naturally associated with slots. The main thing is to bring new concepts to these topics and improve the user experience.
DS: Yes. Unfortunately, the same classic copies of Starburst and Book of Ra are currently generating so much revenue in the industry that it's no surprise that many providers are taking the shortcut to quick wins. However, we are proud of the originality of our mechanics and mathematics, and intend to create new hits to break the current decline in the originality of games.
We work hard to create products that go beyond the usual, but we also recognize that intuitive gameplay is the foundation of successful gaming products. Optimal player experience is key, and it's important to find the perfect balance to ensure that fans spend their free time playing great new games instead of reading about them in the game rules.
RL: With the number of “Book of” games flooding the online market, it would be hard to deny that there is some level of copy-pasting in the industry. However, at the same time, there are a lot of providers who try to be original - it's just that it takes more time to innovate now than before, given the current content saturation in the online casino sector.
The industry is accused of lack of imagination. Which innovative products have influenced the sector the most in the last two years?
RL: Megaways is the obvious answer here. Starting from a concept that largely remained in the shadows for several months after launch, now the feature is being borrowed by countless slots that dominate the homepage of almost every operator. We designed Game Changer to have a similar effect, and based on initial feedback, we hope we can come up with a mechanic that will really change the game in the online casino industry.
DS: Live streams have become very popular with gamblers and have played a huge role in the popularity of Big Time Gaming's Bonanza. This has led to changes in the sector and a great demand for games with a huge number of winning combinations.
Instead of churning out hundreds of the same Megaways games with minimal differences, we are looking back at early successful slots that offered high number of winning combinations like Valley of the Gods, which certainly has a modern sequel with higher multipliers and even more winning combinations. , offering fans record-breaking prizes to brag about.
DS (SG): Big Time Gaming's Megaways mechanic has definitely rocked the casino world and created a new trend. Operators and players alike love the many dynamic combinations and unlimited multipliers that these games offer. This has forced game developers, including Scientific Games, to think outside the box and create new mathematical models, while offering tools for responsible gaming.
DynaReel is one such example and it has allowed us to enhance the gaming experience by offering a million winning combinations. The complex pattern means that the reel grid grows larger as players advance further. This is a concept that differs significantly from the traditional fixed line structure.
Source: https://casinobeats.com/2020/03/05/roundtable-does-the-industry-lack-imagination-and-originality/
