The Growth of Slots: From Classics to Today’s Megaways Games
Slot machines have roots to the 1900s. Believe it or not, the rewards were a stick of bubble gum. Obviously, with today’s slots, especially online slots, we are a long way from bubble gum. With the chance to win multi-million dollars with a single spin, the allure of slots has never been bigger.
However, besides jackpot slots, the world of digital slots also features megaways, re-spins, and good old-fashioned classic slot games. Take a journey in this guide to discover the continued meteoric rise of slots, from upgraded classics to AI-developed games.
1. Classic Slots
Even with so many upgraded slots, there is still a special place in the heart of slot players for classic slot games. While you might not find many three-reel slots with a single pay line like you used to, they do still exist. However, most of today’s classic slots have been upgraded to feature five-reel reels and up to ten pay lines.
New and improved classic slots like Mega Joker now feature more upgraded graphics to take advantage of today’s Javascript and HTML5 technology. Because of their low volatility, classic slots are still in demand because the average RTP rate starts at 95%.
2. Video Slots
The concept of video slots dates back to the mid-1970s. Before that, the only types of slot machines were the vintage three-reel slots with a single pay line. However, to break up the monotone style of play, the top game developers of that time began experimenting with the concept of video slots.
For starters, the number of reels expanded to five, which opened the door for more betting possibilities. Second, video slots also improved the number of pay lines and betting options. This is how we take for granted the coin buttons and the pay line arrows playing our favorite video slots.
Even with the rise of the early online slots, the top gaming developers like Microgaming and NetEnt began pushing the bar for today’s video slots. Slot players got their first glimpse of new and bold themes like the outer-space wonder, Starburst slot game, a video slot that is still as popular it is today as it was when it was first released in 2010. Starburst also has one of the highest RTP rates at 96%.
3. Jackpot Slots
Who doesn’t want to become a millionaire? Without question, Jackpot slots continue to be the most in-demand slots. The answer is quite simple. Becoming a multi-millionaire with one random spin is all the incentive players need to jump on board to play jackpot slots. In fact, many progressive jackpot slots like Mega Moolah have a pot that starts at $1 million.
As you can see, with $1 million minimums, the excitement from other players is enough to keep feeling the pot. Because popular jackpot slots like Mega Moolah are part of a progressive network, that means players playing from multiple casinos can quickly build up these pots to astronomical levels. The intensity and size of progressive jackpot slots that mainstream news is reporting these jackpot sizes, including the massive $6.5 million win playing Fruitblaster at BetMGM NJ.
4. Megaways
Next to jackpot slots, the Megaways are rivaling them for dominance and popularity. You can argue that the concept of Megaways started as a fluke, starting with NetEnt’s Gonzo’s Quest in 2012. Gonzo’s Quest remains a breakthrough slot game on many levels, starting with an enhanced video slot theme and interactive gameplay.
However, Gonzo’s Quest is still beloved for its avalanche feature. With the avalanche feature, winning combinations keep extending as long as new symbols land on the reels. Also, the reels keep expanding, as does the winning multiplier.
This feature is the foundation for today’s exciting and thrilling Megaways slot games. It’s so common that the top sites have a special section for the Megaways games, including sweepstakes games. Pragmatic Play is one of the top developers of Megaways games, with Gates of Olympus being one of the most popular.
To make room and take advantage of the Megaways genre, it’s common for many of these types of slots to have six and even eight reels, as in the case of Wisdom of Athena. These slots are medium volatile and feature breathtaking graphics. To get more players to join, Megaways slots also feature many bonuses, including hold-and-spin, and glorious free spin rounds. Also, it is common to find stacked wilds and other symbols.
Conclusion
As you can see, the world of interactive five-reel slots continues to amplify and grow. With AI technology heavily involved, the rate of new slot games continues to come online at a dramatic rate. Also, AI tech is creating new slot game variants based on the features and aspects that slot players can’t get enough of.