Slots and Video Games Uniting

Slots games have always had a special allure for the simple fact that it doesn’t take much skill to play slots, and people can get rich with one spin of the reels. But even with this being said, skilled casino players have usually avoided slots games because the vast majority of them don’t leave much room for strategy. You basically just click your mouse in online slots or push a button in casino slots to play, and let Lady Luck take care of the rest.

And while this is enough to satisfy most people who just want to play for big jackpots, others stick to games like blackjack, poker and video poker because they want to have some control over the outcome. Slots manufacturers have certainly begun to realize this since a new line of games are popping up that give people more control over their play – much like video games. Since the concept is pretty intriguing, let’s take a look at how the slots and video game worlds are blending together.

While slots manufacturers have attempted to give players more control with skill stops (allow players to stop reels manually), this function does little to influence a player’s long-term odds. Sure people like being able to control their own destiny, but the truth is that skill stops are still governed by random number generators.

Because of the fact that there’s a lack of real skill in the slots world, many casino visitors would rather hit the blackjack or poker tables because they feel like they can gain an edge here – or at least lose smaller amounts of money. So slots makers have been focusing on bringing more dexterity into the game in an effort to recruit a new crowd.

Interestingly enough, they’re finding that the solution is to add more skill to the bonus games featured in slots. Now some casino slot machines offer bonus games, where the user’s skillfulness in pushing buttons determines how much cash they earn from a bonus round. These bonus games are likened to video games because the random chance is cut down.

And what’s amazing is that this is only the tip of the iceberg because slots manufacturers have plans to add more video game-based features. Joysticks are the latest development that should be hitting casinos soon, while we can also count on seeing slots games where players compete head-to-head. There are even plans to create games that allow players to work together in order to make money, which is considered the next major step in slots evolution.

While skill-based bonus games and slots joysticks are definitely something to look forward to, it’s the whole competition aspect that really figures to interest people. After all, the video game industry has seen their profits soar with the rise of online head-to-head gaming, so casinos are taking a cue from this. Going further, they want a way to pit slots players against one another, while still keeping the gaming elements alive.

Unfortunately, slots games like this aren’t right around the corner, and there’s no timeframe on when they‘ll be available. However, there is still plenty to be excited about when you consider that slots manufactures want to create a competition environment similar to popular video game franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.

For those unfamiliar with these games, players work in groups (or solo) while trying to defeat opposing players. The whole competition aspect is what draws people to video games like these, and slots manufacturers want to push some similar casino games out. The big rush to put out games like this is that casinos are looking to capture the interest of younger players who love video games. And while this plan sounds excellent, players have to beware because there’s a catch.

One thing that rules the slots world is payout percentages, or the average amount of money you can expect back from a slots machine for every dollar spent. The highest payout percentages are normally found in online slots, while certain land-based casino slots offer decent payout percentages too.

But when video game-style slots hit casinos, they are expected to feature smaller than normal payout percentages. The reason why is because casinos still have to pull in profits with the slots games, so they have to compensate for great players who’d make money on the bonus rounds. In short, those who excel at video games will make more money than normal, while average-to-non-skilled players will be earning a smaller overall payout percentage.

Of course, this shouldn’t stop video game lovers from trying out the new slots games when they come out in the future. And these games should draw in quite a few casual casino visitors as well.