For this week’s critical play, I played the game Cleopatra by IGT. This is a slot machine game online for the computer. It was developed for people who like to gamble online and the player can choose between gambling fake money or real money. The mechanics are extremely simple. The player can only choose the amount they bet and spin the slots. There is also a mechanic that allows the slots to be spun multiple times on the same bet. Overall these mechanics definitely create the dyanmic of an illusion of control leading to the aesthetic of submission and sensation. The player really cannot do much in the game however this reality is hidden behind gliterring graphics and showy music. The colors are very vibrant, the sounds of the slots spinning, the cha-ching of winning, and more create an addicting overflow of sensory perception. Since the player can do so little, the dynamic of “always almost winning” emerges saliently. When the player does win, the mechanics of lighting up the screen, loud cha-ching crunches, and spinning numbers increasing stimulates the senses so much it is addicting. When my friend played this game, he would bet more and more and always wanted to play again because he thought he would win. The black box of algorithms deceived him of the real chances that he would win. When he lost, he would say that is was so unfair and then play again. The game hides the randomness of the winnings with sensory overload which feeds the addiction. This is a classic slot machine game. To improve it, you could add ways to increase the bet while the slots were spinning if the player felt luckier. These games prey on human persistence keeping people always coming back.
