Exploring the Impact of Slot Machine Theming
Social casino games are one of the most popular forms of online entertainment, and none attracts as much attention as online slots. According to gambling.com, online slots are consistently the most popular sections of any online gambling website and modern casinos dedicate approximately 80 percent of their casino floor to slot machines and just 20 percent to table games. The modern casino typically earns 70 to 80 percent of its revenue from slots, and very similar figures apply to online slots too. You can click here for megaway slots to see the wide and diverse array of slot machines that are available. It is this wide array of machines and the theming that they offer that makes slot machines so appealing to many different gaming demographics. Here we will explore the impact that slot machine theming can have on it’s popularity:
The More Themes You Offer, the Most People You Can Reach
No matter what your interest, you’re sure to find a slot machine that’s right for you: If you have a passion for history then you can find machines themed around Romans, ancient Egyptians, and almost any other kind of historical period that attracts your interest. Sports can be harnessed and make an equally effective theme. Popular TV shows are also ripe for being turned into slot machines, taking advantage of their already established audiences. Slot machines can tap into nostalgia by theming their machines around vintage gaming concepts or feel-good television shows. With Friends celebrating their 20th anniversary, for example, a new slot themed around the show has been created, with the intention of targeting those young women that watched every episode when the show first came out, and for whom the show invokes feelings of warmth. At its most basic level, it is the varied theming that is offered by slots that makes these games so attractive.
Whilst all slots rely on the same basic psychological principles, by changing the themes of their offerings, you can create the illusion of very different games whilst still keeping the same reassuring familiarity of a traditional slot game. What’s more, the advent of bonus games has also helped bolster slot machines’ popularity: instead of just winning money, certain combinations can trigger mini games. This gives the perception of a ‘skill element’ or experience within the game, which many users find attractive: there are positive emotions connected to the concept that when you win a game, it is a win you have ‘earnt’.
The Importance of Emotional Appeal
When it comes to choosing theming for online slot games, the emotional appeal that they offer is just as important as the colours or quality of the game. A key example of this is the Wheel of Fortune machine, and associated gaming, which is one of the industry’s most popular games and which has seemingly endless appeal. What makes Wheel of Fortune games so popular isn’t necessarily the quality of the game play, however, but their emotional appeal: the Wheel of Fortune brings back memories of watching TV in your grandmother’s house, of TV dinners, of sitting around the living room with your family. How can any other game compete with that?
Bringing this kind of gambling concept online, with the huge popularity of online gambling, means that it is easier than ever to activate the comfort and familiarity of the themes that you love from the comfort and familiarity of your own home. Theming is absolutely integral to the success of online slot machines, and this success shows no signs of abating as developers continue to innovate and introduce more concepts to their eager audiences.