Opening Thoughts

Of all the areas of the casino industry that constantly try to push boundaries and explore entirely new design ideas, it’s fair to say that the slot gaming sector is one of the most forward-thinking. 

By design, slot games can branch into the vastness of many different themes, genres and ideas. Slot games can occur on a 3×3 reel, just like many classic games did over half a century ago. In the modern market, digital slots can take place on grid reels that are 12×12, and they can have a host of bonus games that are entirely different from the main design. Basically, there’s a much greater scope for ideas. 

Other casino gaming sectors have not been able to branch out in a similar fashion; they don’t have the same capability. Table games like roulette and blackjack also have a framework, but they don’t have a modular design like slot games. There have been attempts to change this. 100 to-1 roulette and Lightning Roulette are some of the concepts that spring to mind. Still, they don’t capture the audience like different technological innovations and design ideas do in the slot gaming world. 

What Versions Of Slots Would Work Well In VR?

I hadn’t tried on a VR headset until very recently, and they are impressive tech innovations. While there will undoubtedly be some teething problems if casino gaming companies are looking to pivot toward this tech seriously, there is definitely potential there. 

VR headsets provide an immersive experience, and while some developers believe this will take the shape of a virtual casino floor, others within the industry believe VR slots could be the first inroad that brings casino gamers on board with this technology. 

Several slot genres could work on VR—jackpot slots, for example, could implement a design where the whole headset captures you as you unlock the prize. These games have the prize detailed at the top of the game, and it increases incrementally with each bet. 

Depending on the jackpot slots you play, this prize can either be local to the machine or spread across many different terminals – this can also include ones in land-based venues. As the pool for genres and design ideas continues to get smaller, its new devices and immersive, cutting-edge audiovisual VR displays of pre-existing concepts like jackpot slots could be the ticket for future groundbreaking game design.

Which Slot Themes Could Flourish?

Over the last twenty years, many themes have found a market in the online slot gaming world. However, which games could find the most significant audience via VR gaming? Although this area of slot gaming is still in its formative years, those games rely more on their audiovisual package than on their game design. 

Greek and Roman mythology games are good examples. Many will draw inspiration from the Gods, who control the elements, including storms, rains, and wind. 

Look at how mythical characters like Hercules have been used in modern popular culture, from TV to recent films. Clearly, the VR experience is built to bear similarities with cinematic experiences, so it’s likely that mythology games would be the benefactor if VR slots were to become a much more influential part of the casino gaming industry. 

Other themes that spring to mind include space, sci-fi, or games focusing on a background with moving animations. VR slot designers might aim to make these designs more immersive, with the animations, spaceships, cars, or whatever it may be, flying toward you, over your head, with a surround sound feature to make it more immersive.

Importance Of Mass Adoption

Like smartphone and internet gaming, there must be an exodus of casino gamers moving from old-fashioned designs into the new age. Nobody is disputing that VR has a place in the future of technology—it’s inspired Mark Zuckerberg’s company Meta to invest over $60 billion in the technology over the last four years. 

It’s starting to pay dividends, and while some investors will be unhappy at the relatively slow progress and the fact Meta has lost an eye-watering amount of money on this gamble—in the medium to long term, which was always the plan—VR could become the future of gaming. If it does, Meta could become the world’s biggest tech company.

Consumers need to get on board, though. They would not have generated the money to expand if they didn’t get on board with smartphone slots and online casinos. The same applies to VR. 

Final Thoughts

Nobody will say that the tech isn’t innovative, quirky, and futuristic, but will slot gamers want to leap from playing games on their phones to throwing on a VR headset and having the game wrap around them? Only time will tell. However, as the market thins for genuinely innovative themes and ideas in the slot gaming world, expect disruptive tech like VR to become a much louder part of the conversation determining the industry’s future.