When we buy a brand new pair of trainers that feel like we’re walking on air or a smartphone that does everything except drive your car, we’re seeing the finished product. It’s the same with the best slots that you find in your favorite casino.
We don’t see the hundreds of hours that went into thinking up the game, designing the graphics, creating the bonus features and making it a fun-filled, all-singing-all-dancing brand-new casino slot. All that stuff is made behind closed doors by teams of highly creative and talented people who are as passionate about slots as I am about ribs with Jack Daniels Sauce and a side order of onion rings.
These days you’ve got the likes of Microgaming, NetEnt, IGT, WMS, NextGen and Quickspin video slot suppliers at the top of their game. They do with slots what the likes of Paramount or Tri Star or Pixar do with movies. Or what EA Sports do with sports-themed video games. They make an idea come to life. They bring their inspiration and perspiration to your computer screen or smartphone.
When I started playing slots back at the Flamingo, Mirage and MGM Grand back in the late 70s those were pretty basic games. It was all cherries, oranges, bells and Bar symbols. You pulled this big lever down, the reels spun and every so often you got three of the same symbols in a row and that was it.
If you want a reminder of what slots were like back in the day, take a look at the likes of Money Matrix or Cashing Rainbows. Fast forward 25 or 30 years and we started to get online casinos accessible from our PCs and laptops that were light years ahead of those old-school slots. Games with flashy lights, exploding symbols and sick audio effects like Starburst. Slots that were a story within a game like that cute little explorer guy in search of hidden treasure in Gonzo’s Quest.
But the world of online casinos doesn’t stand still for anyone and all of a sudden even those games weren’t cool, innovative and modern-looking enough. Playing these slots isn’t just about passing the time and making a quick buck anymore. Each of these new slots is an adventure in its own right, a colorful and exciting experience. And as I’ve said already, things just get better! So it’s anyone’s guess what they’ll look like a couple of years from now.
