It’s not the first connection people make when they’re connecting the dots between the current gaming and TV crossovers that have taken the entertainment industry by storm. While it wouldn’t be a fair analysis to say that slot games were the foundation for this success, there’s a lot more that links these markets than initially meets the eye.
As this market expands and streaming companies set aside enormous sums to take aim at the gaming world, in an attempt to unveil another mammoth hit like The Last Of Us, the creator of the global hit, Craig Mazin, has set his sights on other projects. Today, we’re going to explore whether slot games paved the way for the gaming-themed TV revolution we have seen take hold over the last decade, and whether they could be a driving force moving forward.
Generating A New, Inventive Title
Slot games have been the springboard for many eye-catching ideas over the last couple of decades. New online slots gaming options cover such an enormous range of ideas that it’d be impossible to sit here and name them all.
However, if history has shown us anything over the last decade, it’s that fusing ideas with popular, proven forms of entertainment can be fruitful, so long as it is executed in the right way, with the right developers, and marketed effectively.
The trick is to design an idea that is both innovative and evokes a sense of familiarity so that gamers will choose to play it, even as they scan through dozens of other options. More casinos have started using their in-house designers to market their latest slots and combine them with proven marketing tactics.
This can range from including them in a list of games with the best bonuses to partnering with TV and movie producers, securing exclusive rights, and tapping into the pre-existing market that already watches the show. However, this approach can be hit-or-miss, and slot gaming companies can be reluctant, given the high upfront costs they often have to pay before they can design and release a game and make their money back.
Creating The Global Appeal
If you are new to the online slots market, it can be easy to look around and think it has always operated this way. Back in the earliest days, the market had nowhere near the same amount of choice and intricately designed games as it does today.
Online slot ideas were an exciting new part of the igaming world, especially from a design perspective, but in the early 21st century, when video console games were dominating the industry, few developers sought to combine the two. It wasn’t really until the rise of mobile apps that we began to see the potential in these two sectors.
Authenticity In A Global Market
The current global video gaming business is valued at close to $200 billion, but this does not tell the full story.
There are brands that are struggling at the moment, and while the industry might be going through a collective golden age, this doesn’t mean that companies can simply look to ride the success and make a quick and easy dollar – they still need to tap into ideas that strike a chord with a global audience.
Slot gaming is a highly saturated market, and there are countless examples of companies that develop ideas and designs that don’t quite get off the ground, so to speak.
However, what slot gaming did, especially in the early 21st century, was showcasing that there was a global demand for instant, quick forms of entertainment, and that combining gaming themes and ideas, including crossover ideas, would yield a return.
It wasn’t until a decade or so later that companies began exploring the potential of TV- and movie-themed slot games, but if it weren’t for the initial success of the slot gaming industry, these ideas wouldn’t have been pursued.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, many other factors played a role in helping shows like The Last of Us build on their initial TV success and flourish. Although slot gaming laid down the foundations, broke down global barriers, and brought enormous amounts of capital into TV-themed ideas, it was the broader ideas of both industries that helped lay out the foundations for the rise of gaming-themed TV ideas.
There is now a range of titles that fit into this bracket, from Fallout to The Witcher, but The Last of Us is certainly the benchmark, even though the season 2 finale disappointed some critics. It has become a global phenomenon, and if any other gaming idea can impact the market in the same way, the potential upside is enormous.
In summary, slot gaming did not have a significant impact, but it was one of the cogs in the machine that has helped games become truly global, which has then led to them becoming a key influence in the world of movies and TV.