Online Slots (Themes We Know & Love)

Added on October 25, 2024, in Gambling Articles by Gambling Gurus

Engaging in an online slot game is as everyday as chewing gum or chatting on your phone, however, it’s considerably more exhilarating! In the contemporary era, these games have been adapted into various forms and can be accessed across several platforms.

This is so due to the fact that entire casino and gambling establishments have been subject to various transformations over the years, each leading up to changes in:

popularity, player traffic, pool structure as macro-level aspects, game symbols, features, graphics and sound effects on a micro-level.

Back in the old days…

…lack of possibilities and technical know-how kept table games such as poker, blackjack and baccarat at the top tiers on the popularity scale. After all, nothing changed within the games, so players turned to those select titles that produced a different outcome due to different individual player skills and intellect.

Better Yet

The appearance and massively extensive use of the Internet brought about enough advantageous inventions to allow gambling platforms to evolve, prosper and ultimately, take on different formats. As soon as casinos hit the digital sphere, popularity rankings shifted drastically.

Slot fans…

…are eager to experience new gameplay structure, different payout potential and entertainment acted as the main drivers during the shift in perception. Blackjack, baccarat and other such games which were once considered widely popular were for some made redundant in the newly created, modern context. Slots came to the fore as the optimal subject to such changes of its fundamentals.

Slot games initially attracted players’ attention due to…

…their simplicity and thrilling action – all you have to do is spin the reels by the push of a button and wait for the outcome.

Nevertheless

This opened a wide range of options as can be seen on https://freecasinogames.net/games/video-slots.html that was made all the more flexible due to the standard gameplay. Thus, online slots started adopting entire themes inspired by all kinds of aspects of human life, and molding the rest of the gameplay – grid backdrop, reel symbols, accompanying elements, sound and graphics effects, animations, underlying bonus rounds etc – based on it.

While each theme and thus slot category had its own target audience, a player pool that would make up most of the traffic on its reels, there are some that managed to do better than the expected projections of popularity and player acceptance.

Ancient Myths & Legends

While myths and legends are often used as a source of inspiration in all kinds of creative processes, forms of gambling entertainment were only later considered for their potential to relate to such a theme.

While mythologies and legendary heroes:

abound in many different cultures around the globe, online slots predominantly focused on Egyptian ancient culture and myths. There is an emphasis on the pyramids, the reign of the most prominent pharaohs and the society as a whole at that time.

Norse Mythology

It also witnessed a rise in popularity, especially in slot software products from specific providers. The Nordic Gods, with all their ranks and powers, are widely employed as symbols and thematic enhancements in online slots as they provide players with payout opportunities and educational digests, all at the same time.

Characters

Both heroes and villains of Nordic stories and legends that do not belong to the deities are just as popular elements of mythology-themed slots. While there are several providers which show outright focus on the Egyptian theme, NetEnt seems to be the sole predominant company interested in portraying the Nordic theme in its video slot collection.

Movies, TV Shows, Music and Books

In today’s multimedia society, it isn’t rare for one form of entertainment to transform into another, especially considering the fact that the source of inspiration is normally the same. Books are being made into movies and TV shows and musical elements are known to be incorporated in almost all of these as an accompanying element. This is why they are all equally regarded as multimedia creations that can be used as online slot theme.

Namely, some providers tend to focus on the specific form, or even genre, per say, and produce software based on it – such as the rock ‘n’ roll collection of slot titles by NetEnt, featuring some of the most iconic bands of the time.

On the other hand…

Providers such as Microgaming tend to go for the movies, producing slots based on popular productions the likes of King Kong and Batman – The Dark Knight Rises. What is more, the latter of the two is, in fact, a continuation of the superhero franchise once existing solely as a comic book – proof enough of multiple media formats overlapping in theme due to its massive popularity.

Cash & Riches

Starting from the fact that gambling is the underlying activity of these and all other themes covered by the slot developers worldwide, cash, wealth, luxurious lifestyles and types of riches are bound to be a popular theme.

Developers tend to advertise such titles as the first glimpses of the players’ lives once they hit the massive payouts available on the grid’s paylines or as part of the progressive jackpot network.

Numerous companies have taken up the task of exploiting this multi-layered theme in their slots products collection, including giants such as NetEnt, Microgaming and IGT.

Also, the well less prominent ones looking to make a name for themselves with a sure-proof choice of theme and game type. Popular symbols include the standard piles of cash and chests of gold, as well as more specific items of the world of the rich and famous – cars, jewelry, exotic destinations and practically anything else that piles of money can buy!

Summary

All in all, online slots are bound to appeal to the player audience due to their simple and consistent gameplay, but this has definitely been emphasized with the use of said themes.

Some of them appeal to basic human instincts…

…like the desire to be financially stable and enjoy all the perks along the way, while others call for specific preferences in terms of music, books and film productions.

Either way:

there is no denying the flexibility of online slots’ nature, and thus their ability to respond to player needs as they shift, rise and evolve