Are
developers and casinos finally addressing the social side of slots?
From Alex Lennox.
February 2021.
Slots may be the most popular casino games on the planet, but they have
always represented a rather personal gaming experience. Times are
changing, though, and it seems that developers and online casino operators
are addressing this lack of a social side. By making slot games a more
communal experience, the popularity of the offerings could be set to rise
even more. Here are some of the ways that slots are becoming more
sociable.
Pokies Tournaments
One of the main ways that operators have tried to bring out the social
side of slots is through online tournaments. There are free pokie
tournaments with real money prizes for players to take part in, and they
provide an opportunity for people to socialise while enjoying the games at
the same time. The list of casinos offering these events is growing, and
now players have numerous options to choose from.
This form of playing slots could inspire other online casino operators to
follow suit. The main way to attract players at the moment is through
variety and ensuring that there are familiar titles available. However, if
online casinos can market their slots as social games as well, they could
broaden their playing demographic even more.
Slot Streamers On Twitch
There are other ways that slots have become more sociable in recent
years. Twitch may be best known for video game streaming, but there has
also been a rise in online casino streamers. Indeed, slots make it into
the top 30 most-watched categories on the game streaming channel
regularly.
One of the reasons why people like to watch slots streamers on Twitch is
so they can find out how to play games, what the best new titles are, and
what pay-outs can be expected. But on top of that, they have also become
live forums for slots players to discuss the games and share their
fortunes with one another.
When watching a slots player on Twitch, it can almost feel as though you
are playing the game with them. By chatting and staying active in the
discussion, it allows viewers to share the emotional journey that comes
with each spin of the reels.
What Could Be The Next Step?
Now that slots are starting to gain an association with being sociable,
developers may decide to look into ways to advance this even further. It
would not be surprising to see some social elements being built into the
games in the years ahead, especially when more of them make the switch to
VR.
NetEnt has already revealed its plans for VR slots with Jack's World VR,
which transports players to a fantasy world with a giant slot machine in
it. This kind of game could easily be turned into a two-player experience,
where the players stand next to each other and take it in turns to play.
Pokies have taken a long time to be considered social games, but times
could be changing. There are several ways for people to bond over slots
now, and this could increase in the future.
