Slot games are by far and away the most loved and most popular type of games enjoyed by players at land based, online and mobile casinos today. However, while people spin the reels of their favourite video slot titles, they probably fail to realise just how far the technology behind slot gaming has come over the years, because the progress has been quite staggering from the days on the humble fruit machine and one-armed bandit.
The first versions of slot games were mechanical, and they were developed over a century ago in San Francisco by an electrical engineer by the name of Charles Fey. Things look a lot different from the first machines created by Fey, with fruit machines, one-armed bandits, video slots and then online and mobile slots following on over the years. Many would suggest the biggest technological changes have occurred since the 1990s where slots started to appear in the online world.
From the days of three reels featuring a small selection of symbols, a button to select the stake and another to spin the reels, the only component that remains is the software known as the random number generator, which ensures that every game is indeed random and not pre-determined. Technology has been key in the evolution of slot games, but they have undergone a complete revamp as time has progressed, with the development being approached in a totally unrecognisable way.
There’s now more to slots than simply selecting a stake and spinning the reels, with themes, visuals, gameplay and features all integral components today. Developers go the extra mile to ensure their game and the theme they plan to go with is likely to be a hit with their target audience. They then go on to develop the visuals and the gameplay, with the whole process akin to what you’d expect to find during the development of a video game. In fact, there are some operators who even go further and produce their own exclusive games, in an effort to increase the chances of the game being a hit. One brand that has been quite successful at this is mFortune with titles like Fruit Machine.
The latest technology also allows for a more complex game to be created too, which in turn helps to develop a better and more enjoyable product for players. There are wilds, scatters, free spins, multipliers, features and progressive jackpots to take into consideration, with the majority now appearing in every slot game on the market. Slot games in effect have gone from being extremely simple to very complex, but it has seen them become more popular than ever.
How slots are played by gamers has changed dramatically over the years too. They can be enjoyed at land-based venues still to this day, but on touchscreen consoles that deliver the game as the developer intended. They’re also available to play on desktop, mobile and tablet too, with each device able to deliver the stunning visuals and exciting gameplay that people have come to expect. With the slot game industry one that has proven itself to move with the times, it will be interesting to see where technology takes it next.
