Visuals plays a big role in gaming, whether it’s a video game played on a computer, a mobile phone, or a slot machine played at an online casino. With today’s graphics and the constant development of technology, users can immerse themselves into games like never before. Design is also crucial to tell a storyline, it’s not only what the player sees, but feels. With that said, visually appealing games don’t always have realistic visuals, where it’s uniqueness that sets them apart. This is something that newly released casinos in Canada is capitalizing on. Almost every person today has a phone or a computer with graphic capability to play all types of games, even more so casino games which tends to be quite light weight visually in comparison to video games.

When a new casino is releasing, it tends to have the latest games that are not only visually appealing but creates a whole new way of playing. It’s also a way for new game providers in the space to create a name for themselves, instead of going with the established brands in the industry. In this article we explore how these game developers think and apply techniques on years of studying different behaviors in players and users.

The psychology behind the game design

The psychology with art and game design behind video games and slot machines plays an important role towards having a good game design. Game providers have through years of development, learnt techniques to build a more engaging experience and it all starts with the mind. Through these techniques the game providers learn how to leverage design to make addicting and enjoyable games. An important part starts with the player types, not every player is the same and developers need to adhere to the masses, as good as possible. Below is a list of player types and what game developers look at when creating a game:

The social type
Many players today opt to play in a live environment, where they can communicate with other players in real time, either through a chat or through voice.

Achievement hunters
These users enjoy gathering points, levels, equipment and enjoys any type of measurement to increase. A good example where games tie this in, is through bonus games. When you hit a certain criteria you get to play the bonus games, and through them can gather even more levels towards your overall character.

The explorer
Seeks to try out and explore all kinds of areas within the game in their own pace.

Killers
These players feel the urge to compete a win against an opponent, much like blackjack where you can play against the house, or poker where beating other players is the game.

When game providers try to understand these types, they can start to pinpoint what mechanics will motivate each player type. If you want to read more on player types, Birmingham university has done a research on the psychological impact of game design goes through every detail on the game as a whole.

How casino game providers use it
Top game providers in the niche understands these types of players and implements design to leverage it. NetEnt is a provider which uses some of the best designers in the gambling industry, which creates immersive games for both the explorers and achiever types. Evolution is another company which produces live content, through live dealers’ players can talk and compete with peers and the house. Poker is another game type which all casinos have and through it, players can compete only with each other.