Gambling and casino games have been a staple throughout our history. Whether we want to admit it, gambling is a thrilling experience, making the brain release dopamine (the famous feel-good chemical). People would expect to only feel the excitement upon winning, but research has shown that it can happen even on a loss.
You see, one of the most common forms of gambling is the slot machine: they are easy to play and have the potential for immense payouts, attracting all kinds of adults looking for a cheap thrill. Slot machines have an extensive history dating to the late 19th century, but have recently evolved to the digital format – and so did almost all casino games, including roulette and poker.
Nowadays, the slot machine game industry is worth billions of dollars, and it is expected to grow at an annual compound rate of 12.3% according to Technavio. With that in mind, many have rushed to create their own casino virtual experiences – but what constitutes a wonderful slot game?
In this article, we will explain the definition of slot machine games and tell you everything you need to know about slot machine game design – in other words, their core elements and features you could add to enrich your upcoming gambling game. Let’s get started!
What are slot machine games?
In simple terms, slot machine games are gambling machines with spinning reels, which contain many different symbols (often fruits, card letters, or numbers). They are called “slot machines” in reference to the slots for inserting and retrieving coins.
After putting in the money, you can press a button (or, in older machines, flip a lever) and watch the reels spin. If they line up in certain ways, you win prizes based on how many symbols fell on a given “payline”, which scales with the amount you bet.
These machines have come a long way since their creation in the late 19th century. What once were huge mechanical machines featuring three reels and nothing more would later become much more sophisticated. The essence is still the same – spinning reels with symbols – but the graphics and animations are much more advanced, often taking inspiration from popular TV shows, video games, and ancient mythology.
In addition, they often feature a wide variety of special features, such as wild and scatter symbols, cascading reels, free spins, and much more, all of which are designed to keep players as engaged as possible. Worry you not, because we’ll dive deeper into everything that goes into designing great slot machine games right below!
Slot machine game design: key elements
Modern slot machine games can look and play very differently from each other, but they often have the same underlying elements to them, which include:
Compelling game assets
One of the most noticeable things about digital slot machines is their visuals: the game’s design and art are vibrant and colorful, grabbing our attention from afar. To further enhance their stunning and appealing visuals, slot games will often have satisfying sounds and flashy particles, which help ensure the player will keep spinning the reels (which, in turn, generates money).
They are also known for following specific themes. For example, your slot game could take some inspiration from the tales of old pirates, meaning its symbols, general design, and in-game messages could reference ships, anchors, sunken treasure, gold coins, and much more. A mining-related game could use charming hand-drawn icons of precious gems, pickaxes, shovels, dynamite charges, mining carts filled to the brim with diamonds, canaries, and so on.
As to their creation, most assets used in slot machine games are meticulously hand-drawn by game artists, who first create some concept sketches before drawing their final design. After that, animators will often work on giving life to them, the result of which players will see when they get matching symbols on the reels. That said, you will often see some 3D models here and there in digital slot machines.
Alluring user experience (UX)
When it comes to game design, user experience is extremely important. It doesn’t matter if your game has the best gameplay in the world if it also has glaring interface or usability issues – all of which are part of UX design in games. It is directly tied to a player’s enjoyment of the game, affecting how likely they are to continue playing your game. In other words: a well-designed user experience will keep players coming back for more, while bad UX will frustrate them.
In slot machine games, UX design often focuses on creating seamless and intuitive gambling experiences, which often include:
- Clean and consistent visuals – especially the user interface (UI);
- Audio effects that are satisfying and match the feel/theme of your slots;
- Rules that are simple and easy to understand;
- Providing your players with feedback and the ability to track their progress and rewards;
- Customizability: some players prefer louder machines while others don’t. The same thing goes for the number of paylines they are going to bet for, the speed for each roll, auto roll settings, and so on;
- Whenever a player wins, the visuals should be flashy and fill them with excitement.
Usual features
As an umbrella term, “slot machine games” follow the same underlying principles, but can differ wildly in implementation. Let’s take a look at the features we commonly find in them:
Paylines
As mentioned, a payline is a line of symbols that, when matched with enough equal symbols, will reward the player with something. Traditional slot machines usually had 3 reels consisting of 3 symbols each, which accounted for a total of 5 paylines (one for each line and one for each diagonal). Then, players could bet for an individual number of paylines.
In contrast, modern, digital slot machine games often have multiple paylines, with some slots reaching tens of thousands through the MegaWays™ system – a feature developed by Big Time Gaming that has been licensed by other slot game developers.
Wild and Scatter
Slot machine games often have “wild” symbols as well. They are special in that they can substitute any other symbol on the reels, just like the wild card in a traditional deck of cards, helping players have winning spins – especially if they appear in the first reel.
On the other hand, we have scatters, special symbols that don’t have to appear in paylines to generate a win. Once a certain threshold of scatter symbols is met (usually three or more in the same spin), the game triggers a special feature, bonus rounds, or free spins, which are often how players make money with slot games.
Bonus rounds and free spins
These outcomes are often considered the Holy Grail of slot games: they’re like the cherry on top of an already delightful dessert, adding extra layers of thrill and potentially leading to huge payouts.
In most games, bonus rounds are special mini-games within the slot game that starts after hitting certain special symbols in the same payline or spin. They come in many shapes and forms – some require players to solve puzzles, others will tell them to explore the tomb of a pharaoh, and so on – but they tend to be very fun and interactive.
Other features you might see
Unusual wild symbols
Some slot machine games have unique types of wild symbols, such as:
- Walking wilds: as the player spins, the symbol “walks” over other reels randomly;
- Shifting wilds: with each spin, the symbol shifts by one position until it disappears;
- Expanding wilds: wild symbols that can expand and take the space of other reels/symbols, enabling potentially huge payouts for the player.
Multipliers
They are straightforward to understand: they are special symbols that can increase the amount of money players win. Some slots will require the symbol to land in a winning payline to work, but others won’t. Just like wild symbols, multipliers come in many shapes and forms:
- Traditional multipliers: they must appear in a winning payline, and winnings are multiplied by the number in the symbol;
- Wild multipliers: some games combine wild and multiplier symbols, making both effects work when they appear in a payline;
- Progressive multipliers: during bonus rounds or free spins, a global multiplier is applied to all paylines, and the multiplier rises with each win.
Double or nothing
In some games, after getting a win, the game offers the player the option to play another game (usually a 50/50 game like Hi-Lo or a coin flip). If the player wins, their winnings are doubled, but they lose everything if they’re unlucky in their gamble.
Cascading reels
Cascading reels, also known as tumbling reels or falling symbols, is a feature in which winning symbols are removed from the reels and replaced by new ones. This process can happen multiple times in a row (and go on forever if the players are lucky enough), giving them multiple chances to win with a single spin.
They are usually seen in games with a high number of paylines or none at all – meaning symbols can create winning combinations from anywhere on the screen. This can create fantastic chain reactions that greatly enhance the players’ excitement, making them long for more.
Elevating Slot Game Design: Strategies for Success
Creating successful slot games requires a combination of innovative game development skills, game design expertise, and strategic game mechanics. Slot game design is a distinct field within the broader scope of game development, requiring meticulous attention to detail from slot designers and game artists. From the design of slot machines to the programming languages used, every aspect of the slot game development process contributes to its overall success.
Developers build slot games based on casino and slot gaming preferences, aiming to immerse players in captivating gameplay experiences. The process involves designing both the 2D and machine-based elements, ensuring the game aligns with casino visitors’ interests. This creative process allows for the incorporation of exciting game mechanics and features that add more excitement and engagement, making the game more appealing to slot players.
Whether you’re a game designer or a casino game development company looking to build exceptional slot games, the thoughtful design process and tools like game engines can help you create a great slot gaming experience that resonates with players.
Need help designing your upcoming slot machine game?
In conclusion, slot machine game design is a vital aspect of the online casino industry, playing a significant role in keeping gamblers engaged. As you have seen in this article, user experience (UX) design is crucial for creating intuitive gambling experiences through the proper implementation of fundamental features, such as paylines, special symbols, and free rounds.
These can be further enhanced by implementing more creative, outside-the-box features, such as unique wild symbols, multipliers, and cascading reels. Furthermore, concisely incorporating all the game assets to ensure a streamlined and intuitive experience, and allowing players to customize their experience can go a long way in making successful slot machine games.
If you want to create one of your own but don’t know where to start, we got you covered! We are Main Leaf, a professional game studio that has been creating fantastic games on demand since 2010. Our roster of 70+ seasoned professionals can take your game to the next level, working on it from conception to release on the major gaming storefronts.
Whether you want to create a unique slots game or something more traditional, we at Main Leaf would love to bring your vision to life. So don’t wait – request a game quote today, and you’ll hear from us within 24 hours.
