Online casinos and gambling platforms have become one of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing industries. In tandem with other types of online games, they’ve revised the notion of what it means to play games. Every individual, regardless of age, location, lifestyle or budget, can now enjoy online gaming entertainment at any time and from any location from the comfort of their own home.
The Vegas online casino games’ lobby has a wide game selection of table games, specialty games, lottery games and online slot machines. Join the casino to find out how the casino’s SpinLogic game developer creates such exciting and interactive gaming adventures.
Vision
The process of creating a new game starts with Vision. The team tasked with creating the game has to find an idea that creates experiences that are engaging, fresh, and memorable. The process of creating a new game begins with questions.
- What kind of experience should the game create?
- How will this game be different from other games on the market?
- How can the game be interactive enough to engage the audience, yet uncomplicated enough so that all gamers can get the best experience possible from the gameplay?
Design
The player experience must be at the core of any game. This “user experience” (UX) is probably the single most important element in a game’s success. The designer needs to put him/herself in the players’ shoes as s/he maps out every feature and every click to ensure intuitive, smooth gameplay. Designers need to work in tandem with the developers as they fine-tune the game so that it moves smoothly and seamlessly through the storyline to a satisfying conclusion.
Some of the tools that move a game’s development along this path include intuitive controls and navigation, elimination of friction points in the machine’s progress and the inclusion of immersive elements (visuals, sound) that will complement the theme without overwhelming the gamers.
Basics
When a new game is being planned, the designer starts the brainstorming process by identifying the game concept and design. The main elements that must be taken into account are the:
- Theme and Visuals – players are often drawn to a slot machine based on its theme. Game themes vary widely and include storylines that revolve around holidays, the supernatural, history, mythology, suspense, romance, humor, fantasy and other types of plots. The game’s theme is the first and most important decision because it will set the stage for the ensuing visuals, symbols, animations, and sounds.
- Reels and Layout – the basic structure of the slot machine is the next step. This involves the number of reels (usually 3-5, though there are 6-reel and 7-reel slot machines these days), the number of paylines and whether there will be paylines (where the individual line is enabled) or payways (where there are no individual lines to be enabled) – wins are determined by symbols that appear in any pattern. The game’s layout affects the complexity and payout patterns of the machine.
- Symbols and Paylines – unique symbols (like wilds, scatters, triggering bonus symbols, etc) must be identified and the paylines, need to be defined.
- Bonus Rounds – The bonus rounds are probably the most reviewed aspect of any slot. There are free spins, pick-a-symbol opportunities for extra payouts, multipliers and more. The more bonuses that the slot features, the more likely it will be to attract gamers who are looking for a slot with more interactive gameplay.
Rewards and Game Mechanic Innovations
Slots gamers aren’t looking for a lot of strategy and technique in their gameplay but they do want some kind of challenge to make the game more fun. Game designers must balance these two concerns and infuse different elements so that there are elements of creativity in the game mechanics. For instance, slots games now have different types of achievement systems that players for by allowing them to reach milestones, level up and unlock unique bonuses.
Game developers want to see mechanics that balance challenge with excitement in order to motivate players to continue playing. These mechanics take various forms including real-time feedback with animations and prompts that create a sense of progress, progressive rewards that are delivered through achievement levels that can be unlocked over time and cross-game bonuses where linked games provide extra prizes (progressive jackpots).
Transparency and Fairness
In today’s world of cybersecurity threats and endless online scams, players are looking for games that they can trust. They want to be assured that the games and the casinos are regulated and that they operate in the realm of open transparency. The game developer can meet these needs by creating games that follow transparent algorithms which enable players to verify outcomes.
By using an RNG (Random Number Generator) that has been tested and monitored by independent authorities, regularly auditing game mechanics for accuracy and communicating fairness measures to players, the game developer creates an environment in which gamers can play freely.
Feedback
Even the best-designed game won’t be successful if the game developer doesn’t accept feedback. Development doesn’t end at the launch – the developer must find ways to gather player feedback and review data analytics so that adjustments can be made as needed to keep games fresh and engaging.
Through these updates, the gaming experience is improved for the player which means that the gamers are much more likely to return – both to the specific game in question and for other gaming events.
Designers should have mechanisms built into the game that monitor the game’s performance metrics like average playtime and retention rate.
In addition, the casinos should be providing the game designers with user feedback so that the developer can tweak the game as needed. The developer should also make sure that new features and adjustments are sent to the online casino as needed.
