Slot Machines: The Perfect Casual Game?
The first slot machine was built by a San Francisco mechanic called Charles Fey in the late 19th century – over 120 years ago. The machine was a great success with the casino executives of the time as it combined the randomness of a game of chance with the ease of use of a vending machine.
It was adopted by the gaming venues of Nevada first, later conquering the whole world – and making it to the online world in the 1990s. Two decades have passed since then, and slot machines have continued to spread. Today, they are among the most played games on desktop computers and smartphones alike. Some slots fans play online casino games at Vegas Palms, others – often for lack of a better option – choose social casinos and slots. What makes the slot machine such a successful game? Let’s take a look.
Simple rules, easy gameplay
Slot machines are among the easiest games ever invented. Just take a look at any such game at the Vegas Palms or any gaming machine in Las Vegas (the real one) to see what I mean: all a player needs to do is feed the machine coins (or credits in any other form) and spin the reels. While this simplicity is far from being exciting for some, it attracts others – slot machines are among the most sought-after games in land-based and online casinos alike.
Variety by design
Slot machines are also among the most versatile casual games as they can be built using the same mechanic and an incredible variety of looks. The Vegas Palms alone has over 650 slot machines in its library, each one with its own theme, its own bonuses, and side games – and there are other casinos and social games out there with thousands of different variations to choose from.
The themes developers use for their slot machines vary, covering everything from sports to movies, from video games to TV shows, from mythology to memes – in short, whatever a player might be seeking for.
Playing for the win?
Slot machines often come with very attractive wins – but this is not the main reason fans are returning to them. After all, the social casino apps like DoubleDown or Slotomania come with no real money wins to play for, people still love them. It’s not winning that attracts the players to slot machines but the state of mind – the so-called “machine zone” – it puts them into, similar to meditation, when the outside world seemingly melts away, leaving nothing but the spinning reels. It’s the same feeling you get when you can’t stop scrolling through pictures on Facebook – it’s relaxing, attractive, almost addictive.