For new entrants, the modern online casino industry can be overwhelming, with thousands of games offering diverse gameplay. Whether it’s online slots, live casino games, or scratch cards, there are many different game types in the industry. Since their creation in the late 20th century, online slots have had a major impact on the iGaming industry, consistently evolving into what we see today. For beginners, the thousands of online slots available can be overwhelming, and to make matters more complicated, each game is unique. All slot games have their own features, with one of the most common things to differentiate titles being themes or bonus mechanics. As each development studio innovates, the industry is more expansive than ever, making it harder for newcomers to understand these games. This article aims to make the online slots industry easier to understand by breaking down popular game mechanics players may encounter.
Online Slots Early Years
The first online slot game was launched shortly after the inception of the first online casino platform. In their early years, online slot games were much simpler than they are today, with limited gameplay mechanics, extremely basic bonus features, and worse graphics. Over the years, standards for online slots have risen due to advances in technology.
During the early years of online slots, gameplay typically took place on a 3-reel playgrid, a transition from the slot machine industry standard. These basic 3-reel formats commonly featured a few fixed paylines, typically 1 to 5, on which base-game prizes could be triggered.
Looking back on these games today, it is evident that they were much simpler overall, with basic sound effects and visuals that lacked detail. Today, the industry offers hundreds of slot themes, whereas in the early years, there were none.
Understanding Modern Reels Set-ups and Paylines
Over the years, the online slot industry has evolved significantly, featuring more complex playgrid setups with more paylines than ever seen in traditional slots. The reels in slot games are the columns on which symbols land, and in the modern era, gameplay will most commonly take place across 5 reels. In online slots, each reel operates independently, spinning and landing a random combination of symbols.
Paylines are essential to understand for base gameplay in online slots, and in the modern era, they can be more complex than they once were. Many online slots have fixed payline counts, typically 20 to 50, and patterns are predetermined. Additionally, some modern releases have variable payline counts, often due to the Megaways mechanic. Matching symbol combinations can appear on these paylines and award base-game prizes based on the symbols’ values.
The Megaways mechanic is a game feature that has revolutionised the online slot industry, enabling dynamic play grids with variable payline counts. The Megaways mechanic enables play grids to feature unique symbol counts on every spin, resulting in changing paylines depending on the number of symbols on the reels.
Many slot games in the modern slot industry feature the Cluster Pays mechanic, which removes paylines from the reels. Instead of paylines, matching combinations occur when groups of symbols land and are connected horizontally or vertically. Also, some slot games feature the Pays Anywhere mechanic, which similarly replaces paylines. For the Pays Anywhere mechanic, matching symbol combinations can occur if a predetermined number of identical symbols land anywhere on the reels.
Types of Online Slots
There is a range of online slot types available in the modern online slot industry, including progressive jackpots, video slots, and classic slots. All types have unique characteristics, with classic slots replicating the aesthetic of traditional slot machines and featuring simple gameplay. Common classic slot games will take place across 3 reels, with limited payline counts and basic bonus features.
Over the years, jackpots have been used by numerous slot developers, though in modern times, the progressive jackpot genre has grown. Progressive jackpot slots are unique, as they can grow over time with a portion of each wager being added to the jackpot count. These progressive jackpots can be triggered at random during gameplay, and if triggered, the amount is awarded before the count resets to a fixed value.
Understanding Free Spins Features
Free Spins features are the most common bonus feature in online slots, which can commonly be triggered by landing a combination of specific symbols. Many game development studios refer to these symbols as ‘Scatters’, and commonly three are required to land, though some games require more.
These Free Spins features award players with free games, which will take place using the same bet stake that triggered the feature. Commonly, these Free Spins features include additional gameplay mechanics, with many adding multipliers or stacked Wild symbols. In many slot games, these features can be retriggered by landing a predetermined number of Scatter symbols, awarding additional free spins.
