Posts Tagged ‘ how I would improve online slots ’
Slot Request: I Love the 90’s
You may have noticed by now, but I like to daydream from time to time. My mind just wanders off like that and instead of fighting it, I embrace it. That’s why I’ve written some blogs about how I would improve online slots and it’s why I am starting a new series of blogs that I will write on occasion, the Slot Request.
There are slots out there for virtually every theme imaginable, with something for just about everyone. But there can always be more. Ideally, that sentence would not have included the word “virtually” or the phrase “just about.” I recently wrote about a new online slot called So 80’s, which reveled in nostalgia for that great, cheesy time period. As a child of the 80’s, I can certainly appreciate that. However, I was a kid in the 80’s and a teen in the 90’s, so that is the time period I hold the most dear. What I would like to see is an online slot with a 90’s theme.
Though it doesn’t have the same campy appeal as the previous decade, the 90’s were still distinct. Some of the icons of the 80’s carried over into the early part of the decade. When I think of that era, though, I think of the time of grunge, with the flannel shirts, ripped stone-washed jeans and long hair. I think of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal. I think of the popularity of the Internet and hearing “you’ve got mail” when you log on. I think of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the cloning of a sheep, the death of Princess Diana, sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld, and the Wonderba. Any of those things would make for great symbols in an online slot.
The bonus game could be something like surviving a mosh pit without losing your shoes (a common problem at rock concerts). Or maybe the bonus game could incorporate one of the iconic video games of the era, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, or Mortal Kombat.
There are a number of great ideas for an online slot with a 90’s theme, but I don’t want to do all of the work here. The software development companies have creative departments that do this kind of thing. So get to work, you guys!
How I Would Improve Online Slots: Part Four
Every now and then, instead of reviewing an online slot or giving you a tip or secret, I like to just daydream for a little while. I think life is better if you take some time to think about not only how things are but also how they could be and maybe should be. Since I spend so much time writing about slots, this often applies to my favorite game. I have already listed other ways in which I would improve slots. The idea I have right now is a pretty simple one: Break up the monotony.
I love online slots; don’t get me wrong. They’re one of my favorite games at the online casino. When I’m in the mood for serious strategy, I play blackjack. When I’m not, I play the slots. While slots are fun and I have played countless games with countless themes, there is a time when the monotony sets in. You spin and spin and spin and you get symbols and different symbols and different symbols…and then the hypnosis sets in. It’s like highway hypnosis, where you’re driving and suddenly realize you don’t know where you are because you had zoned out. Luckily, slot-induced hypnosis isn’t dangerous, but it does take away from the fun of the game.
To avoid that feeling, online slots should do a better job of breaking up the monotony. One thing this means is having the bonus games occur more often, even if the tradeoff is getting fewer bonuses for each game. Bonus games often are more fun to play than the actual main game and even if they’re not, they break up the pattern of spin, spin, spinning. For the record, some online slots have more bonuses than others, so some have already thought of this.
It doesn’t have to be bonus games that break up the flow of the game, though. Simple cut screens would work. I’m reminded of the way in Wheel of Fortune, instead of revealing the letters automatically, we have to wait for Vanna White to walk over to them and turn the letters over. This adds to the suspense and also gives us something (or someone) to look at. For slots, every now and then, having something similar to that pointing out what symbols we matched and what we won would be nice. I’m also thinking of that dog in the old Nintendo game Duck Hunt, which would pop up and laugh at you when you miss. Something as simple as that brings you back into the theme of the game, breaks up the monotony, and hopefully is entertaining as well. Of course, if you wanted to play a faster game you should have the option of turning those cut screens off.
Video sequences would also be helpful (and some games have these as well). For instance, if you’re playing an online slot with a Superman theme, every now and then it could show the hero flying through Metropolis (the most creative name ever for a fictional city), fighting a villain or rescuing Lois Lane. A sports game could show actual game footage. The possibilities are endless.
My point is simple. Additions like these would enhance the online slot experience for many players without taking away from the game or modifying it in any large way. Sometimes it’s the small things that make all the difference.
How I Would Improve Online Slots: Part Three
Every now and then I like to daydream and think about what could be done to make online slots more enjoyable. Now, I love playing online slots. They’re some of my favorite games. There is always room for improvement, though. My first two ideas were for slots to feature a virtual supportive friend and for 3-D slots. One thing that I would like to see is a more random slot game.
By random, I don’t mean the outcome of the spins, which is already randomized by a random number generator. I mean the game itself. As it is now, when you go to an online casino, you see a list of slots games that they offer and you choose which one you want to play. You click on the baseball-themed game or the Valentine’s Day game or the comic book game. What I think would be cool is a random game, where you start playing and the casino randomly chooses which game you get. It would be like a slot machine grab bag. You reach in for something not knowing what it is. The surprise would make it that much more fun, especially if you end up with one of your favorite games. As an added bonus, you might end up playing a game that you wouldn’t otherwise try and who knows, you might end up liking it.
People like a little mystery in their entertainment. LOST is one of the best shows on TV and one of the reasons is that we spend half of our time when watching it (if not more) trying to figure out what in the world is going on. Look at Deal or No Deal. I’m not sure if that show is still on, but it has always gotten great ratings, despite the fact that it’s basically nothing more than an hour of the contestants trying to guess how much money is in the briefcases held by the models. If people will watch that garbage to see how much money the person wins, surely a lot of people would like to be surprised by what slot game they get to play. And if you get stuck with one you hate, just pick again and another game will be chosen at random.
Many online slots already incorporate the “guess what’s behind the curtain” gimmick as a bonus game. My idea is to simply take that gimmick and apply it to the selection of the game itself. Making something a surprise makes it that much more exciting. It’s why we wrap Christmas and birthday presents. It’s why we don’t let our girlfriends know ahead of time that we’re going to propose. It’s why flashers walk around the city in trench coats…Actually, forget about that last one. It was a bad example.
How I Would Improve Online Slots: Part Two
Yesterday I proposed one improvement that could be added to online slots to make the experience more fun: a virtual supportive friend. I think it’s a great way to motivate and encourage a player, which is something you normally don’t get when playing slots online.
Another thing that would make online slots better is if they were in 3-D. Think about it: 3-D slots. 3-D is all the rage right now. Consider that James Cameron’s Avatard has made rougly $1 billion, despite being a cheesy movie about blue aliens and an absurd script that matches the child-friendly propaganda in Ferngully with the natives-are-noble but white-man-is-evil sentiment of Dances with Wolves. No one cared that the story seemed like it was written by a ten-year-old for a class project (or worse yet, by George Lucas). They only cared that it was in 3-D and had really bright colors.
Online slots can be improved by going with what worked in Avatard. Think of it. You can watch the symbols pop out at you. Maybe you would have the illusion of actually reaching out and grabbing the arm to spin the slot. If it’s a superhero theme, you can experience flying with the superhero with a 3-D environment around you. A sports-themed slot? Even better in 3-D! Take a swing at a fastball coming at you and if you hit a home run you get a free spin. The possibilities are endless.
Many slot machines in brick and mortar casinos no longer give out coins when you win. Instead, they print out tickets or have other ways of crediting your account. That’s simply not as much fun. I liked the old days when the machine would literally start spitting coins out onto the floor and you excitedly scooped them up into your bucket. That is an excitement that has always been left out of the online slot experience. However, with 3-D slots, you could watch the coins get spit out of the machine and toward you. They would then pile on the floor in front of you. It would be the next best thing to actually playing in a casino.
I don’t know how long it would take for a good 3-D online slot to be developed, but I have to believe the technology is there. It might be expensive, but it’s there. Once can only hope it’s coming to an online casino soon.
How I Would Improve Online Slots: Part One
I love playing slot machines. It’s my favorite game in the casino, and playing online slots helps me pass the time and endure many moments that otherwise would have been pretty dull. Partly it’s because my girlfriend left me for a cabana boy in Mexico, she took “our” car with her, and I’ve been left with few options for ways to entertain myself. Even if I had a life, though, I would still love to hit the slots. Even something I love, though, can always be improved. Here is the first part in what will be a recurring series of ways that I would improve online slots.
A virtual supportive friend: When you go to a brick and mortar casino, you can go with your friend and have that friend support you while you play. It makes the game more enjoyable. When you play online, though, you’re on your own, unless you invite your friend over to watch you play games on your computer. And if you do, you need another hobby. Go out! Have fun! Playing on the computer is what you do if you can’t get a friend to come over!
Anyway, my idea is to have a virtual supportive friend. This would be an avatar that stands next to the online slot and interacts with you while you play. If you’re losing, your virtual friend, or vriend for short, will comfort you:
“Hey, man, don’t worry about it. Bad luck on that spin, but you still have $___ left. You have plenty of chances to make your money back.”
If you lose all of your money, your vriend can give you a big, consoling hug and then buy you a drink to take your mind off of the game. The vriend can also offer you encouragement, saying that “you had a bad time today, but next time you could win a lot of money. Since it’s all chance, you never know!” You can also make your virtual friend the same sex as you or the opposite. If you’re really down after losing a lot of money, your vriend can buy you drinks and take you back to his/her place.
If you’re winning, though, your virtual friend takes on a different role. Your vriend helps you celebrate. You can pre-select a certain personality type for your vriend. You can make your vriend a frat boy and he will celebrate your winning spin by holding up a beer bong for you, doing a drunken dance, or saying this like “Wha-paw! You just kicked that slot’s *ss!”
You can make your vriend a gold-digger who will ask if you’re going to spend the winnings on her. You can make your vriend a street performer who does a freestyle rap when you win. Pretty much anything is in play here. You can make your vriend a cowboy who politely tips his hat and says “congratulations.” You can make your vriend like an annoying character Jack Black would play, who overreacts to everything and is incredibly over the top. Or you can do anything in between.
A virtual friend to support you in good times and bad will make playing online slots more interactive and more enjoyable. I don’t know if this will happen anytime soon, but I can only hope. In the meantime, I’ll have to continue annoying my friends by sending a lot of text messages when I play.