At a Casual Connect Conference in Hamburg, the transition from designing video games and implementing their graphical qualities into traditional gambling style machines was one of the topics discussed. Al Thomas shared that he wanted to enhance the graphics found in those games with the graphical qualities of a video game to provide a superior experience. His talks also included a reminder of how resistant to change development managers in the software industry were in the 1990s, and only once they accepted the new approach did it eventually proved to be what people wanted.
What remains interesting is that with all the wonder of illusion, visual and audio effects, most people still appreciate the mechanical appearance and for that reason, even old school machines remain popular because many feel their functionality is more trustworthy. Touching on the subject of psychology, it is important even to online developers to design games that appear mechanical in order to generate trust. Brett Jackson of Bally Technologies confirmed that people need to believe that results are random and the old saying “seeing is believing” is still alive in visual play.
Software developers are experts in the designing of this style of game and base games on player interests, which includes a variety of sports and other themes relevant to familiarity. A book written by Natasha Dow Schull explains the psychology and what determines a specific games popularity, according to Schull players enjoy games inspired by what they would like to accomplish but know they not likely to experience in their lifetimes. Casinos.co has reviewed several differently themed slots from sports to rock bands and was quick to provide a comment to this article.
Natasha Dow Schull, who is an MIT Professor, wrote a book on the psychology of this style of games and defined the act of entering the zone. Her discovery includes the positive state of mind players entered described as closely the same as that enjoyed by artists or writers. What appeals to slot players is the smooth flow of the game, escaping from reality and its pressures and in enjoying virtual experience players would select games that resembles what they wish to accomplish but are not likely to experience in their own lives.
For this reason, sport themed or action sport inspired games are amongst the most enjoyed and popular online games. They tend to remind players of the nerves that are experienced prior to the beginning of a before match while some might recall memories from a younger age when they participated in sports or attended sporting matches. By enjoying online sport themed games, players get to enjoy a pleasant feel of supporting their favorite team or feeling as if they are playing for that team and hearing the background cheers will increase the enjoyable sensation that is felt.
While video games offer an escape, so too does sport related games and together as a combination, players get to completely relax while enjoying their favorite sport. Sports fans also become fanatics due to the hard work involved in sports, the teamwork, and the leadership. While enjoying games based on sports, it reminds players why they love sports in the first place, part of which includes the respect for team players who obey the rules, their dedication, and hard work. History has shown that games featuring all-time sports stars or legends appeal to players who appreciates their victories and achievements.
Trying to understand why people love sports so much as fans is hard to explain even by psychologists but here are a few motivations. The most common are; people and self-esteem benefits. The sports theme tends to appeal to someone who enjoys the particular sport it is related too and likes the emotional benefit of winning while playing the same time. This style of theme is aesthetically pleasing, and lastly, the sport or game graphics provides a sense of connecting with the sports itself as well as a providing a sense of belonging.
A lot of studies and research has been done on sports and why some fans become slaves to specific sports. ESPN’s Simmons published, “This is Your Brain on Sports” in 2011 about the mirror neurons that is responsible for a feeling of action and in Lehrer answered the question “Why do Fans Watch Sports” with its a “talent-luck-theory” explaining maybe the connection or balance offered by a combination of skill and randomness.