Slot themes are an important part of the gaming experience. They offer fans nostalgia, creativity, and unique gaming experiences. Most slot games have a theme of some kind. The first theme for slots was the fruit theme, which comes from the popular fruit machines, which were invented in the late 19th century.
Fruit machines are classic slot machines where the machine generates a combination of fruit symbols to determine the outcome of the spin. They were the first of their kind and have spanned thousands of themed slots, both online and in physical casinos.
Slot themes originate from various places. Popular origins of slot machines include entertainment, like TV and film, culture, and even psychology, because if there’s anything that will test your mental state, it is a slot machine.
With thousands of themes available on the market, we will break down where slot themes come from, the different types, and why they are important in gameplay.
Why Are Slot Themes Important?
Slot themes have a crucial role in gameplay. They make games unique and influence each game’s mechanics, and in the case of slots, symbols, and prizes.
Themes serve several important purposes:
- Recognition – Slot themes allow players to recognise games. For example, NetEnt’s infamous slot Starburst has a space and cosmic theme, which makes its name and the branding instantly recogniseable.
- Connection – Themes help players to feel connected to the game. While some high-rollers may play for money, it is important that they are emotionally invested in the game, which is where themes come in. Themes help players to connect with what they’re playing without getting bored.
- Engagement – Much like emotional investment, slot themes help increase engagement because if the player is interested in the game for its theme, they won’t leave at the first sign of losing.
The First Slot Machines
As we mentioned, the first slot machines were invented in the late 19th century. They put fruit machines on the maps and used fruit symbols for simplicity and recognition. Fruit machines appeal to the theme of classic slot machines, which modern players find sentimental because of their experiences of playing fruit games. Even today, they are so popular and they exist in online and land casinos.
Alongside classic slots, you also have BARs and Lucky 7s. BARs were inspired by the logo of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company. Whereas Lucky 7s became a symbol on the reels, inspired by luck and fortune. For players, these were the first symbols of significance because they showed the power of visuals in gaming.
Pop Culture And Entertainment
Pop culture plays a big role in video games, and slot titles are no different. Existing franchises and movies being adapted into games is very lucrative because of fans of the series. Fans of these series will play the games because they love the franchise.
Furthermore, Hollywood has a huge influence on the world of slots. Although studios need to license names and franchises to be able to include them in games, they are worth it. What makes these slots so immersive is that the graphics, themes, characters, and soundtracks are often taken straight from the movies. Movies like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park have inspired entire slot series.
Even beyond TV and film, there are famous people who inspire slots. Because they are well-known globally, it is easy to create slots inspired by celebrities, especially if they are famous for a talent like singing. John Wayne, for example, is a slot by Playtech named after the famous Western cowboy. Although celebrity names can be difficult to license, they prove to be moneymakers with fans of the celebrity because they want nothing more than to play as their favourite person.
History, Stories, And Legends
Some slots originate from points in history or from stories and legends passed down from generations. In history, periods such as Ancient Egypt and the Roman era are frequently repackaged into slot ideas. Sometimes players will play as famous historical figures or the slot will just be inspired by ancient civilisation. Either way, slots built on history use facts and past events to create a storyline for the player to build the basis of the slot game.
However, stories and legends build slots based on interpretation. Myths, for example, help create slots around stories and old rumours, like the existence of a creature thousands of years ago. That creature then becomes a symbol or an important part of the slot game. Even fairy tales find their place in popular mythical slots. Hansel and Gretel, the story by the Grimm brothers, is retold in the Grimm’s Bounty slot with a different ending.
Cultural Influence
Culture has a large influence on where slots originate. The appeal of using culture for slots is that they can be themed around one location. It is easy to use existing traditions or symbols and add them to a game with similar meanings. For example, in Irish slots, there is a consistent use of the four-leaf clover, which in Irish culture means luck. It is usually a symbol for multipliers or wilds in these slots to make players feel lucky.
Even Las Vegas has its own genre of slots because it is such an integral part of nightlife and the development of the gambling industry.
Technology and Digital Trends
In modern slots, technology also has an influence on slots. Appealing to current trends is good for slot providers because it sets them ahead of their competitors. This is why many slots take their aesthetics from futuristic things such as robots, science fiction, and cyberpunk. You can easily draw inspiration from these tech-related aesthetics. For the future, think spaceships, bright colours, new machinery, and tech.
Bright colours, especially, are associated with new technology and the future, which symbolise hope and potential new trends.
Seasonal Slots
Some slots are purely seasonal and are released around special holidays. Christmas and Halloween slots are popular because they are easy to build. With Christmas, you can use snow settings, with symbols like presents, reindeer, gingerbread men, and anything that you associate with Christmas.
Halloween is similar. Developers can lean into the horror genre and release slots around Halloween, even if they aren’t directly related to cliche Halloween themes like haunted houses or ghosts. The promotion of seasonal slots also helps to draw in new customers. If players see that a slot is limited-time only or coming out on Halloween, they’ll want to play to get into the spooky spirit.
Will Slot Themes Change?
In the future, slot themes could easily change, as what’s popular changes. The trend cycle is short, and in gaming, what players want is subjective. At the moment, there has been a surge in developers creating games with complex features rather than themes, suggesting that, at the moment, a majority of studios are looking to focus on gameplay rather than themes.
However, themes are what give slots their basic components. The symbols, the sounds, and the animations are all influenced by a slot’s theme. As new pop culture icons, celebrities, and themes arise, so will new slots.
