For this week’s gambling, chance critical play, I played on the website Casino World, developed by FlowPlay. Casino world is an website the mimics all games in a casino, with an extensive catalogue that allows players to simulate a real casino experience.
Specifically, I played Fright Night, a horror themed slot game that caught my attention from the initial bar. The website itself is designed incredibly well: the website feels “familiar” with its interface resembling streaming services. Fright Night specifically has a “darker” tone, but still has bright and colorful graphics throughout. Each game has its own personality that makes the experience feel unique, but in reality are all different iterations of the same games but with slightly different bonuses, soundtracks, and sometimes rules. (Though I did not look extensively.)
A few minutes playing, I quickly became hooked. This game allows for very low stakes engagement if that is what the player seeks out. At first, I just clicked the spin button and watched the items turn, and pleasantly appreciated the delightful sound effects and visuals after each roll. By mechanic of simply clicking makes it very easy to passively be involved. However, over time, I became increasingly invested and developed a progressive betting strategy.
Thinking about the randomness/chance in this game, I believe that the element of chance makes the game highly addictive. After playing for 15 minutes, I found that there is “just enough” chance for good to keep player engaged. I played one round where I did not bet, I simply just clicked spin: simply to study the amount of “good” outcomes that occur without investment/strategy. I found that without betting, the player will by-default get mediocre bonuses, which is enough to keep us engaged. Thinking about the randomness lecture, it reminded me of the bell curve graph. It is most likely to get “middle tier” bonuses (non-trivial, but non-game changing). This keeps players engaged by inciting hope as the game goes on. I thought the ability to design your own avatar also contributed to the personal investment in the website and promoted an expected notion of self-expression as a form of fun while playing.
