Like a whole host of other things, gaming made the move online when the Internet began to dominate. After making the jump, many classic games were able to achieve fresh heights of popularity.
Slots were no exception to this, with many thousands of players now enjoying spins on their own computer or mobile. Whole new formats and twists on the classic formula sprung up online, such as Megaways slots.
Despite initial fears over the rise of online, the gaming landscape is looking even stronger than ever before. So, how did Slots handle going from physical machines to an online offering?
Evolving technology
Even before the shift towards online play, Slots had already started to evolve. Machines had moved from their more mechanical origins to a computerized state. The introduction of random number generators and video screens brought slot machines forward and helped to modernize the feel of the games.
These technologies paved the way for the digital switch, making it even easier for Slots to transition from land-based to online. Machines could easily add more reels, more symbols, more paylines, and more potential winning combinations.
This spiced up the game beyond the original three-reel fruit machines of past decades as a greater variety of Slots began to take off in popularity.
Levelling up the theming
Innovation was the name of the game as Slots made their move online, with developers wanting to draw in more players to make the switch. Freed from the technical limitations of a physical machine, games were able to capitalize on stronger theming than ever before.
A greater variety of video and graphical effects could now be easily incorporated into games, even adding footage from films or TV shows. The only real limit on any new game was the creativity of its creators, leading to an explosion in the number of different Slot varieties on offer online.
With players free to choose between even more options than ever before further growth was only inevitable.
Going bigger
It was this sort of creativity that led to the creation of the Megaways slots format, one entirely exclusive to online games. Unlike the standard paylines that most Slots games use, the Megaways format allows for winning combinations as long as matching symbols appear in any of the slots on adjacent reels.
Symbols can also sometimes take up multiple spaces across the available rows, with a randomized number of symbols appearing across the reels on any given spin. All in all, the format boosts the potential number of winning combinations far higher than your standard three-reel fruit machine.
Another area where online Slots have innovated is in the progressive jackpot. Rather than just linking the payout of a new machine in one land-based casino, it can now be linked so that every time anyone plays the game online the jackpot rises.
Conclusion
Innovation never really stops, so who knows what changes are in store for Slots in the future? But one thing is for certain, and that’s the fact that this casino classic will stay just as popular.
