Online Slots take a Step Back into History
Slot machines have come a long way from the fruit machines and one-arm bandits of old. Once the reels were replaced with digital screens and results decided by a random number generator, the design was changed forever. But having the reels on a screen also meant that developers could have the freedom to design them to look like anything they wanted. With the basic programming in place, only the graphics and sounds really needed to be changed between designs, meaning that more themes than ever are now produced.
Historical Themes
The most popular category of online slot themes is historical slots, often featuring myths, legends, and characters from long-gone civilisations. Developers love to use historical themes because they know they appeal to players. Ancient civilisations have always been fascinating, which is why so many of them are taught in schools today. They often full of epic stories and heroic characters, quarreling gods and magical animals. With such a rich collection of images, all instantly recognisable, it makes sense that slot designers would want to tap into this rich mine of resources.
Another reason why historical themes are used a lot is that they don’t belong to anybody, so designers don’t need to pay any licensing fees. Unlike slots based on pop culture icons like blockbuster movies and superstar musicians, myths and legends are free to reference. And this isn’t a small pool of resources either, there are literally hundreds of years’ worth of stories, characters and images from all around the globe that designers can incorporate into their slots without having to pay a penny.
Ancient China
Some historical slots tap into traditions which are still found in modern day cultures. Slots based on Ancient Chinese Dynasties will include dragon symbols and the colours red and gold, which still have meaning today. The use of red is especially auspicious and Chinese cultures still associate it with luck. Using a design which appeals to the heritage of a large section of the global population is a smart move if you want your online slots to be successful.
Ancient Gods
The use of ancient gods is also popular, because they aren’t likely to offend as they belong to defunct religions. You won’t find slots out there featuring Hindu Gods or Jewish symbolism, because not only would these religions be offended by the use of their imagery on a gambling game, but people of other denominations might be put off playing a game they don’t see as being for them.
Most historical slots feature well-known characters from the era, often gods and goddesses. Greek mythology is particularly well represented, because our records of this civilisation are more complete than, for example, Norse and Arabian histories. This gives developers a wider range of characters, imagery and stories to choose from. Battles between the Greek gods feature in a lot of stories, so pitting them against each other across the slot reels not only makes for exciting play but is actually in line with the original myths.
Ancient Egypt features nearly as much and for similar reasons. Not only are there real characters to base slots on, like Tutankhamun, but the Egyptian gods feature heavily on online slots. A popular slot game played online is Cleopatra slots which is filled with iconic Ancient Egyptian imagery like scarab beetles. The game is paired with the distinctive Egyptian art style and hieroglyphs, along with symbols of the Pharaohs’ excesses like gold and jewels. Ancient Egypt has much variety to choose meaning developers never need to repeat themselves.
What do players prefer?
Historical slots are not just popular with developers – they are the most sought out slot from a player point of view as well. When looking for a slot to play, most people will gravitate towards something that looks familiar, and the historical imagery of Ancient Egypt, or the Aztecs, is instantly recognisable to the majority of people. Slots based on movies, sports, and hobbies will appeal to fans, but are more likely to alienate those who don’t have an interest in the theme depicted. Myths and legends are fairly neutral, and even if you don’t know anything about Greek mythology, the idea of battling gods throwing lightning bolts across the sky is still an exciting one!
Knowing how popular these designs are has led to a lot of competition between developers. While the big developers like NetEnt and Microgaming have branched out into licensed slots in order to corner the pop culture market, there are many smaller developers who have used historical themes to stake their claim for customers. Developers like Pragmatic Play and Play’n Go have mythology-based titles amongst the top 100 most popular online slots in the UK, showing that players are more interested in themed games.
There are thousands of different online slots currently in play, with dozens of different themes between them. Some are more niche, like vampires and fairy tales, which appeal to a specific demographic of online gamblers. Others have more widespread appeal, like fruit and animal themes, which are accessible to everybody. But no other theme outranks historical and mythological slots for popularity, and it’s been that way for the last decade.
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