With the new year being around just long enough for the trends to settle in, we’ve prepared an exciting treat for you today. Not only are we going to take a look at what they are, but also attempt to decipher what all of this means for you as a player. So without further ado, brace yourselves for the following casino and slot game trends in 2020:
- Gamification
Gamification is like playing a game within a game, the end goal of which is to motivate you to play it more and more. For instance, incorporating leaderboards is likely to steer you toward reaching the highest score possible, especially if there is a juicy reward at the end of the weekly or monthly period. In the end, everybody wins; the players are excited to play longer sessions and duke it out for a nice reward, while the casinos entice them to stick around longer, thus maximizing their profits.
- Virtual reality
What do you do when the slot games, in their bare-bones form, are no longer enough? Add a touch of virtual reality to spice things up, of course. The VR hardware is becoming increasingly more technologically advanced, while the components themselves are becoming lighter on one’s wallet. While the technology has not reached its peak potential yet, no one can deny that these are exciting times to be alive!
- Mobile-focused design
Gone are the days when you were required to be glued to your home computer’s green just for the sake of enjoying your favorite online slot games of choice. Since mobile-first design has become the name of the game, smartphone users are no longer left behind. In fact, having a great mobile experience now tops the developers’ priority list. Given the fact that there are now more mobile users than desktop users, this hardly comes as a surprise. So in 2020, expect not only the app version of the online slot games to shine but also their website counterpart.
- Skill-based games
The idea is to reward the highly-skilled players for their knowledge by implementing more in-game decisions that shape the outcome of the game. While similar efforts have been attempted in the past, we have yet to see this being implemented in a way that would reshape the entire online casino and slot game industry. Yes, luck should remain a factor – otherwise, the less skilled players (or those who are new to the game) would be put at a severe disadvantage. But in the long-term, as their skills grow, adding in an element of skill is what is bound to keep them around longer.
- Live casino games
Let’s face it: we, the people, are social creatures. In other words, we thrive on spending our time in the company of like-minded individuals or those we share a similar passion with. Due to this, live casino games have become a thing, and the trend will certainly leave their mark in 2020 as well. Slots.io games in Canada is an example of an online casino that has implemented these quite well. If you decide to check them in action, you’ll see how you’re free to interact not only with the croupier but the other players as well. Given that we live in a busy day and age, and the nearest brick & mortar casino may be miles away from where you’re at right now, live casino games are a godsend.
- Reel spinning is slowly becoming optional
As it turns out, reel spinning appeals more to the older audiences and a bit less so to the younger ones. So with that being said, what is the more suitable alternative? Matching games and puzzle games all fit the purpose. Some even label them as “skill games” due to them offering you some form of choice that affects the final outcome. And a bit of interactivity has never hurt a game that is, in and of itself, based on chance.
Conclusion
At the time of writing, 2020 is still young, and we’ve yet to see how much of an impact these trends will end up having by the time it comes to a close. But what is the point of arriving at the final destination if not the journey itself?
