The world of iGaming is always changing and with technology moving forward, players’ expectations are rising as well. These days, good online casinos have things no one would dare dream about a couple of decades ago, like real-time live dealer tables and fully operational mobile games.
However, despite all these new inventions and games, one category remains the absolute leader – video slots. No matter how many other options there are, a majority of players tend to gravitate towards slots as their number one choice.
The appeal of slots is no secret by this point. Being easy to play, entertaining, and capable of producing huge wins, these games embody everything gambling is about. But, what it is that makes a player choose one slot over another? Do big slot jackpots trump themes and graphics or do player prefer interesting mechanics and bonuses over everything else?
Popular Themes Draw Numbers
In the world of slots, themes are somewhat of low-hanging fruits. While not all developers can offer massive jackpots or create games with unique mechanics, they can make slot games with entertaining themes that are likely to appeal to the players.
For example, games with an Egyptian theme have been hugely popular for decades. Slots such as Book of Ra or Book of Dead remain players’ favorites even though they’ve been released years ago. Even if these slots lack complex mechanics and don’t feature a huge winning potential found in many modern slots, players keep coming back to them.
So, clearly, the slot theme plays a huge role in its success. Players are more likely to go for a game based on a topic they find familiar and interesting. That’s why slots inspired by history and important world events usually tend to do well. They are easier to relate to then a game with an obscure theme even if it ticks other boxes.
Big Jackpots Get the Blood Flowing
Of course, an opportunity to win big while risking a relatively low amount is one of the biggest draws of slots in general. Players do tend to gravitate towards games that can produce big multiples of their stake, which is probably why the new generation of megaways slots has found so much success.
But, in addition to this, many players seem to choose games that offer big progressive jackpots. These slots don’t necessarily have huge prizes available as a part of the game but they offer a shot at a network jackpot, which can go as high as seven or eight-figures with slots such as Mega Moolah or Hall of Gods.
The draw of jackpot slots is easy to understand. They offer a shot at a truly life-changing money, even if the odds are slim. So, as long as they also feature decent wins in the base game, where players can walk away with a profit even if they don’t hit the jackpot, these games will always be high on the list of the most popular choices.
In-game Mechanics
Finally, players these days know more about slots than ever before. So, when they go about finding a game to play, they also want to know the basic information about mechanics behind it. This is reflected through the RTP and volatility.
The modern trend seems to be that of gravitating towards slots with higher volatility even if the RTP is somewhat lower. What this means in practice is that the game can go through many spins without much of a return but any single spin can produce a massive win. For example, instead of expecting to get $20 every X spins when betting $1, players prefer games where these $20 wins are rare but every now and then, the game produces a $1,000+ win.
Of course, the balance is very important here and the most successful developers create slots that are volatile but still give players enough play time so they don’t feel robbed when the big win doesn’t happen. This is no easy task and not all companies who make slots are up to it, which is one of the biggest reasons why some manage to find much more success than the others.
So, to sum it up, all of these three factors have their own merits. The theme is probably the least important of the three, but it is still crucial to attract players to a new game they haven’t seen before. A big jackpot can be important but the game can do without it if it is volatile enough to produce big wins on its own.
In the end, players are those who have the final say in what they like or don’t like and game developers have to keep up with these expectations if they want to succeed.