How to be affected by music and sound in slot machines

The music of casino online games

An increasingly central part of this creation process is the sound design. Maybe you've thought about the music and sound effects in your favorite slots. If not, try starting one. best casino games and pay extra attention to the sound. We dare to guess that you will immediately recognize both the background noise and the effects when the wheels spin. The sound is simply a very large part of how we experience the games – in exactly the same way that a film experience is colored by the soundtrack.

Today there are also quite a few online casino games choose a specific theme. At Metal casino for a long time there was an opportunity to play your own rock music while spinning among the many slot machines.

Moderna slot machines: the role of music and sound effects in modern slot machines

Music and sound can be used in many ways in slot machines. An obvious function is to create mood and atmosphere. Test e.g. Secret of the Stones slot machines which was released by NetEnt a few years ago. The game's theme is based on Celtic mythology, and the soundscape does an excellent job of transporting us to a foggy field, somewhere in a medieval Ireland. As you spin the reels, you hear sound effects reminiscent of heavy boulders being moved, and wins are marked by Harmonic loops on what sounds like a harp. In other words, we are quite far from the monotonous ringing of the classic ”one-armed bandits”.

Please try some different free slot machines and notice how the sound is used. This thing about music in slot machines is nothing particularly new in itself. But where in the past it was considered a ”truth” in the industry that melodies in C Major worked best to attract players, today there is a huge breadth-mysterious strings, cheerful fanfares or electronic dance music, all depending on what feeling to convey.

Although there is thus a wide spread, the sound image in most cases has some common features. Most of the time, the background music itself is relatively discreet, while it really takes off in connection with the profits falling in. The idea is that the background noise should not be perceived as disturbing or distracting, while it should be extra clear and really felt in the ear canals when a winning symbol line dims down on the reels.

Music as a reward-a sound designer's perspective

Picture: gamesauce.biz

To get a closer insight into how music and sound in slot machines affect us players, we have taken part in an interview with sound designer Peter Inouye on the site Gamesauce.biz. Peter has extensive experience of working with sound for both video games and casino games. One would think that these particular game categories are quite different, but according to Peter, the philosophy is about the same. The quotes below are our translations, and have been adapted to fit into the text flow.

” It's really mostly about remembering that the music and sounds you create should be part of a reward, " says Peter. Every modern slot machine has its own theme, and it is often based on the theme that the player chooses which game to bet on. "Therefore, the sounds you produce should fit with the theme, and really mean something to the player who hears them. You want the player to hear certain sounds and feel excited about a possible upcoming win”. Thus, the idea is that every major event in the game should be accompanied by a dramatic sound effect that confirms the win for the player.

When asked why he went into sound design for slot machines, Peter has a simple answer: ”just as the sound in TV and computer games has developed, there is a parallel development in slot machines. They are becoming more and more like the video games, with more and more high-quality sound that adapts to what is happening on the screen”. When he tells others that he develops sounds for slot machines, they often think of the rather disturbing standard sounds we recognize from older machines. Peter continues: ”I have to admit that I first had the same thoughts when I got my first assignment in the industry, but the fact is that slot machines have evolved far beyond that point”.

How we are affected by sound and music

Nothing is left to chance when a new slot is to be launched – at least not in the case of the best game developers. As a player, it is of course nice to play casino games with good and catchy sound. At the same time, it can be good to know that the function of sound is often to make us want to play further. This is not really surprising – of course, both the game developer and the casino want you to like the gaming experience and want to return to it. But it can be interesting to know a little more about how the music and sound can have an almost subconscious influence.

We humans, as a rule, like to consider ourselves smart. And of course, we are usually able to make sensible decisions based on the information at hand! But sometimes we still let ourselves be influenced by factors we may not have really thought of. A Canadian study has shown that positive and clear sound effects can be enough to give us the feeling of a big win – even when the win is actually very small, or even less than the bet!

As we arrived at earlier in this article, one of the main functions of sound is to create excitement and anticipation. It turns out that with sophisticated sound design, one succeeds extremely well in this. In many games there are even special sound effects for so-called ”almost-wins”. Say that three scatter symbols are needed to win a larger sum or activate a bonus mode. If two symbols have landed on the reels, you can then start to hear a rising tone that hints that the win can dim down at any time. Even in cases where the profit actually fails, we get the ”feeling” of a success – we were so close!

Sound effects and music are therefore a key part of creating a great gaming experience, but it is still good to be aware of the tricks used to build up the excitement and expectations.

The sound of the future of slot machines

We can thus state that we have come a long way since the classic, mechanical slot machines ' ringing, buzzing and coin rattling. Developers around the world have pushed for the development of increasingly advanced games, where sound has been given a given role in the creation process. The question then is-what happens next?

This year we have received a couple of examples of how you can basically build a slot machine around the music itself. In January, NetEnt launched the slot machine Guns N Roses , and a few months ago it was time for Jimi Hendrix in slot form. Making music-themed slots is in itself nothing entirely new. In Las Vegas, among others, Dolly Parton, Michael Jackson and The Beatles have been the theme. But NetEnt's bet on Rock-based slots is still quite unique in the online world, and judging by the positive response, the bet is just right in time. In an age of choice, we increasingly define ourselves by what we consume – and why should slot machines be an exception? Although in recent years we have received games with widely different themes, we believe that there is much more room for future niche games, where music will continue to play an equally important role.

There will be a lot of talk about the New Zealand game developer NetEnt in this article, but it is difficult to get away from, as they are simply constantly at the forefront. Earlier this year, the company unveiled its new venture into 3D audio. You can see a presentation of this here above. The idea is simple – we as players should get an even greater sense of presence through the experience that the sounds come from different directions, and not just one and the same source. This, together with NetEnt's upcoming investment in VR technology, hints at an exciting development for an increasingly immersive casino experience, not least for mobile players.

Ever since the rustling and ”DING-DING-ding” of classic slot machines, music and sound have been a central part of the gaming experience. But a serious gaming audience and tough competition means that the boundaries are constantly being pushed, and we look forward with excitement to follow the development of the future of slot machines in general, and the sound design in particular.