In 2017, iGaming is big news, and seriously big business. iGaming companies have developed such sophisticated offerings that gamers can now try out a virtual reality poker game two minutes after wrapping up a 10-minute session on an online slot game, and just before hopping away from the world of VR to a round of online blackjack.
These different games have different appeals, and different draws for various demographics, but one variant that has bridged the gap in terms of appealing to a broad range of gamers is online slots, which can be played in short bursts rather than needing committed spells of drawn-out playing time. This broadens their appeal by definition as it’s hard to think of many demographics that have no spells of downtime during which the draw of the mobile phone becomes hard to resist.
Appealing to a Sense of Progress
One area that has been the recipient of several new online slot games is the corner of the iGaming world occupied by progressive slots jackpot games. In these games, provided primarily by the major software developers of the gaming world, Microgaming and Playtech, players are able to build up a bigger jackpot the more they play their respective game, meaning that while the initial jackpot on offer might be the same as an ordinary slot game, players can end up winning seriously big as the progressive jackpots take their toll.
The chance to win big is always going to be a draw for serious and casual gamers, but perhaps the biggest excitement for slot players with these games is the fact that they can enjoy playing a familiar style of game that takes on a more personalized theme. Indeed, the range of new game titles on offer is quite incredible; you can go from Vegas-themed slots to slots focusing on bands like Motorhead, to variants that feature popular characters like Lara Croft (of Tomb Raider fame) or even the dinosaurs of Jurrasic World (and Jurrasic Park) and superheroes like Batman.
A Market that Continues to Grow?
While the market for iGaming is generally experiencing growth, the appeal of slot games on mobile devices continues to be a big part of the reason behind this sector of gaming growing to become more popular than PC gaming and console gaming. Interest in non-iGaming mobile gaming titles such as War of Clans and the likes of Candy Crush has also failed to subside, but the simplicity and “pick up and play” nature of slot games means that while more technologically advanced games will certainly have an appeal. The fact that only a reported 6.8% of smartphones are virtual reality technology-ready proves that sometimes simplicity is precisely what people want.
As with any industry, things can change, and rapidly, but whilst the most likely explosion of VR technology is going to be in the world of console gaming (where PlayStation already has PlayStation VR) or in PC gaming, where Microsoft is looking to release a low-cost virtual reality headset to bring VR gaming to a wider audience, the world of mobile gaming continues to look for simple, fun, and fast games and means to drive growth.
With more and more titles likely to be released in the world of online slot games, the chances are that the most recent release of progressive jackpot games will just be the precursors to many more as 2017 progresses and 2018 begins.