There are many profound differences if you compare slot machine gambling with other classic table games like blackjack or poker, but one of the most distinctive is the fact that slot games can come in quite literally any form in the world. You don’t see games of poker or blackjack with Ancient Egyptian or Irish themes, for example, do you? But these things are commonplace in the remarkable world of online slots.
Oh yes, if there is one thing that separates online slots such as Gold Rush slot game and land-based video slots from the rest of the gambling world it’s their dazzling appearance, with developers making sure their games always look colourful, inviting and exciting. Some slot machine purist may argue that slot themes really aren’t important, however others would have a different opinion. Are themes in slots online important? Let’s find out for ourselves!
The early days of slots: A time without themes
It’s funny really, slot machine themes are so popular these days that literally every single game has a particular type of theme, however back in the day this certainly wasn’t the case. You see, early slot engineers like Charles D. Fey couldn’t really worry about the themes of their games back then, it was hard enough getting the games to work!
Back then slot icons were lifted from things like playing card symbols, or other cultural icons like the liberty bells used on Charles D. Fey’s Liberty Bell machine. There wasn’t really a theme to speak of, however these characteristics have gradually become themes in their own right as the time has passed.
Some very basic themes in the 20th century slots world
In order to give you an idea of how long slot themes have been around for, here are some basic ones from the 20th century slots world:
- Fruit machines: Back in the early 20th century slot machines were actually illegal (fancy that!), which meant that the only way they could be publicly played was with fruit sweets as a prize instead of money. Hence why the fruit machine theme was created.
- Poker: The very first slot machines ever made had a distinctive poker flavour, so it’s no surprise that an early slot theme was inspired by poker.
A few reasons why themes in slots online are important
Let’s be real here: do you really think that slot themes would have been so popular if they weren’t so important? Slot themes are massively important, and this is a fact particularly accentuated when we’re talking about slots online. Read on for a few reasons why themes in slots online are important:
- Eye-catching: Slot themes are almost always fairly eye-catching, something that online slot companies use to make their games standout.
- Gives variation: Without online slot themes all the slot games available would be the same, and that would quickly get boring.
- Slot bonuses: In some cases slot bonus rounds are directly inspired by the theme of these titles, another reason why themes in slots online are important.
