There’s a reason that classic slot titles are regarded as such and continue to draw significant engagement, according to a panel at the SBC Summit in Lisbon.
The discussion of player engagement took centre stage during the ‘Slot Trends: Designing for the Future Player’ panel where Laura Petrauska, Head of Casino at Bet99, challenged the panellists to name their favourite games in an effort to find out their own preferences.
It prompted Myke Foster, Group Head of Gaming & Commercial Strategy at Fortuna Entertainment Group, to highlight a growing trend away from traditional slots, as he praised plinko.
He stated: “I’m really enjoying what providers are doing with extra mechanics, giving a bit more perceived value for a customer, making a session a little bit more engaging, having a little bit more to keep them engaged.”
The role of AI was also examined in the modern igaming space as it’s limitations were questioned by Dr. Eyal Loz, CPO at RubyPlay.
Loz declared that “there are three issues with AI”, suggesting that the technology “lacks content, depth and the human element in the room”.
“A slot is a piece of art,” he said. “You need context between symbols and how they all talk to each other, and AI fails to do that. It’s not just about producing a beautiful image, but creating technical depth.”
“AI is a powerful tool, people who are talented can use AI to enhance their creative output by 100 times,” he continued. Despite admitting that “it has shrunk costs a lot”, he asserted that “the talented become 100-times more talented and the mediocre become 100-times more mediocre with AI”.
Meanwhile, Aaron Magpayo, Chief Product Officer at Playnetic, highlighted the role games can play when it comes to efficient onboarding experiences for the player, suggesting that a variety of features could be important as “it’s not just about payways, it’s about engaging the players in all aspects”.
Analysing exactly what it is that players desire from the modern gaming experience, Playson CCO Vsevolod Lapin detailed a need for suppliers to offer games with clarity, not confusion.
“First of all, they’re looking for clarity,” he said. “When you’re playing with money, you want to understand how you go from going to pay for your bet to the win, and you want to see the potential.”
Lapin then suggested that “perceived persistence” is an increasingly important factor in today’s market, with some players enjoying games that give them an idea of when the next feature will arrive to enhance their gameplay.
He added: “For humans, they look for stories. They want to connect and this has an impact. So I think one of the big trends these days is perceived persistence. Players want to see how the feature is coming closer.”
Loz emphasised the importance of “not underestimating the classics”, describing classic games as “classic for a reason” due to the idea that “players see patterns in games, and they develop superstitions and don’t want to leave them very quickly”.
Loz then detailed how skill-based game players are having a rise in popularity within the slot industry, with modern players desiring “to have some element of control”.
Combining his ideologies, Loz explained that studios need to be “trying to respect the classics but innovate with them”, stressing that this is particularly important for a modern audience “that wants a little bit more”.
Providing an affiliate’s perspective on player preferences, Jekaterina Dubnicka, Marketing & Communications Manager at Slotsjudge, explained that individual players are drawn to vastly different games, causing some difficulties for figuring out what players want.
Dubnicka pointed out that some players are drawn to classic, fruit-themed titles and some consider ‘hold and win’ games to be their favourite, while other players are demanding something new, echoing Loz’s notion around skill-based gameplay.
“It’s really hard to understand what they want and what they want to see,” she noted. “So I think we need to find the right balance between all mechanics, all games and themes. Be there with the player, don’t be pushy.”
One trend Dubnicka has noticed in recent releases is an admiration from players for slots that feature viral internet sensations and memes, suggesting that “they’re doing so great recently”.