The slot machine games that you will find at online casino sites are developing at a very fast pace these days and have come a long way from the earliest versions of the slot machine. This article will take a look back at the origins of online slots games, examining how they have progressed from the very simple formats of the early days into the technologically advanced games that exist today, which offer complete stories of the sort found in other sorts of gaming.
Online slots games first appeared during the 1990s and offered a very simple form of casino gaming at first, with the player simply being required to press a button to get the reels spinning – similar to the way that land-based slot machines are activated by pulling a lever. These were the earliest days of online casino – and indeed the internet in general – and a lot less was expected in terms of what a game should deliver. However, as time has gone on, the technology that underpins online casino has advanced and this has led to slots games becoming more sophisticated. One major change has been the development of computer gaming software that is far more complex, with the RNG (random number generator) being the one that has revolutionised online slots. This software is what makes the reels stop spinning at a particular point, with different numbers selected at random at thousands per second. It isn’t possible to defeat this with strategy, but grasping how it works can give a player an awareness of the odds of success.
It is not just the technology behind the slots games that has developed however, as the games themselves have also improved. From the early days of small payouts, slot game developers added features like enhanced and progressive jackpots to keep existing players interested and tempt new ones. Slots games also began to adopt themes based on hit pop culture franchises like movies, with the technology increasingly allowing developers to feature audio and visual clips from them during the play and bonus games with classy graphics. Major online slot developers such as Bally are open about the fact that they are taking on video game companies to hire the most talented artists, taking the games a very long way from the basic ‘press a button, spin the reels’ format of the earliest days. The high quality graphics, themes and clips aim to recreate the atmosphere of movies for the players rather than simply letting them gamble for money. The modern slot player is seeking an immersive entertainment experience in which the actual gambling is only part of the fun, meaning the search for new, engaging themes to build these games around is continuous. A great many use blockbuster films or popular sports, but others take a more original tack – like the quirky Egyptian themed Cleopatra Slots. With talented artists being recruited and technology continuing to develop, the future could well see developments like virtual reality slots.
These days slots games are such incredibly immersive experiences that many come for the game itself, rather than just in the hopes of winning money, and we are likely to see more of this in the future.
