For this week’s Critical Play, I decided to play a virtual slot machine called Prosperous Fortune from FreeSlots (https://www.freeslots.com/slot100.htm) FreeSlots is maintained by SimSlots from 1999 to the present. The game of slot machines is targeted at adults (18+) due to the danger of gambling addiction and the transfer of money between the player and the owner of the slot machines. During my play, I did not play with other players since FreeSlots was a purely single player experience.
Prosperous Fortune, and slot machines in general, lure players towards addiction by introducing mindless play through the ease of continuing to spin, the possibility of free spins or a “big win”, and the use of attention grabbing audiovisual effects when the player scores a big win.
Slots put players at risk of addiction by dramatically lowering the threshold for play. In Prosperous Fortune, players are given a starting balance of 200 credits and can spend between four to twenty six credits to spin the machine. From there, players can spin the machine by pressing the spin button on the bottom right or by left clicking anywhere on the website. The method of starting to play is extremely easy and I found myself often just clicking the left click in order to have another spin. At times, I felt my eyes glaze over as I watched the rolls spin – my credits going up when I won and down when I lost. I think this behavior is intentionally designed for. The act of pressing the button to spin (or pulling the handle in real life) is simple, monotonous, and repetitive. Due to these factors, my mind was able to wander, I can play slots without thinking about playing slots. What I felt matched the delusion which is mentioned in chapter 3 of Addiction by Design. I could pull slots without any thoughts in my head.
I also found that I often broke even with my roll or was slightly over (suggesting that the win rate is probably quite high). Occasionally though, I would be able to score free spins or a “big win”. In Prosperous Fortune, if you roll three or more golden koi fish, you are granted free spins on the slot machine. Since I wasn’t using my credits, the thought of preserving the credits I had left my mind as I spun the slot machine. Rarely, I was able to roll a “big win” – a payout of over 1000 credits when I used 26 credits to spin the slot machine. I let out an audible gasp on my first “big win” (I got three). During my play, I felt that I was spinning in order to chase a goal – the free spin or “big win”. I remember thinking to myself “if only there was another golden fish” while spinning. By showing the player that they have the possibility of making a big win, slot machines promote addiction by always allowing players to think that their big win may only be one pull away.
A big win causes coins to rain from the top of the screen, immediately showing the player that they’ve won
Slot machines harness fun as sensation, specifically for big wins. Slot machines take advantage of the fact that players can have mindless fun, but quickly draw the players attention back to the machine when there is a big win. Big wins are accompanied with flashing lights, falling coins, and other audiovisual effects which immediately tell the player that they’ve won. These flashy effects cause a rush of dopamine for the player, which then further entices them to play for the next dopamine rush. I also think it is intentional that when the player is not winning, the machine is quiet and dull, creating a stark contrast between ties of winning and losing.
A standard spin vs. A Big Win Screen – there are much more visual effects when the Big Win is triggered.
When comparing slot machines to other games of chance, there is no skill involved. If we consider Texas Hold’em Poker, the player needs to be engaged with several different factors all at once including what combos they have in their hand, how much to bet, and whether or not the other players are bluffing or not. I believe the active elements of poker invite some level of skill expression from the players (I.e. bluffing). There is no skill expression when playing slot machines. If we wanted to decrease the risk of addiction, we should add some mechanics to encourage players to pay attention. Perhaps a mechanic where if you can tap five of the same number on the screen within a limited amount of time, the slot machine refunds a portion of the credits used could be a way to help players stay focused on the slot machine and not get stuck in a mindless cycle of spinning.
