If you were told to think of a slots game, we would wager that the image you see would be spinning reels with fruit and bell symbols.
It is the classic slot and has been around just about as long as slots have been in existence. It is still incredibly popular, but there are plenty of other themes to explore these days.
If you want to read an honest Everygame review to see how good an online casino it is, you will also want to know the range of slots and games available there.
Gamers cannot get enough of slots – and most have a favorite theme to play.
It is not as though the theme makes a huge difference to the game, but it is something to attract the eye and keep the interest a little longer.
In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the most popular slots themes around – and also why slots use themes in the first place.
With advances in technology, we will also be exploring how slots may look in the future, and whether themes will still be as important to the gaming experience as they are now.
Why Do Slots Use Themes?
When slots first became popular, card games were all the rage and many of the early slots used card suit symbols as they were easy to understand.
The first real development in slots themes came in 1894, when the Liberty Bell slot was launched. It featured popular symbols of the day, including a horseshoe, a star, and – of course – the Liberty Bell.
The popularity and recognition aspects of the symbols are important. Not only did these symbols attract attention, but they were also familiar.
People playing those early slots were attracted to what they knew, and that is still the case today.
The popular themes we will look at in a moment are symbols of familiarity for today’s gamers – including slots based on the biggest and latest TV shows and films.
Popular Themes
You may not even think you have a favorite theme, but if you look at your gaming history, you will probably find that you are drawn to a specialist theme.
Although slots themes are always evolving, there are a number of classic favorites that help keep your online casino as familiar as possible.
We have already covered the classic fruits and bells theme, and there are still a remarkable number of new slots currently being developed that hark back to the earliest days of gaming.
But there are also far more complex themes on the market, including a whole host of historical examples.
Whether it is Ancient Egypt or the Wild West, the stories of those times are an easy hook for slots developers, and bonus features and symbols are easy to exploit for our pleasure. The same is true for fairy tales and legends.
King Arthur, Troy, and Nordic Gods all regularly appear in the slots section of online casinos and provide a compelling storyline that equates playing with the adventure stories of the past.
The luck of the Irish is especially popular as well, with countless slots using some kind of Irish connection to attract gamers.
Leprechauns, rainbows, and pots of gold all feature heavily, with shamrocks and the color green always very prominent.
Popular culture is a rich mine for slots developers too, with sports and culture regularly used as themes.
Licensed games are even more popular, as they can use actual trademarks, sports leagues and athletes as part of the gaming experience.
Gamers love to be involved in their favorite sport and these slots provide that opportunity.
Classic TV shows and films are always popular, but there are always new ones being released, which allows the slots developers to update their rosters.
Any big blockbuster movie will undoubtedly have its own slot released around the time of the theatrical release.
Slots developers will use any holiday or special occasion as inspiration for a new game and the number of Christmas-themed games is a good example of this.
Anything where developers can provoke a feeling of familiarity is fair game and the best themes have been around for decades.
The Future of Slots Themes
Unlike many other areas of gaming, the future of slots themes will probably look fairly similar to what we have today.
Advances in technology will, no doubt, create slots that have more complex features and possibly even AI-driven outcomes.
The rise of immersive technology, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), also provides a new avenue for how we play slots online.
The basic idea of slots themes may well stay relatively unchanged, however.
Whatever is popular at the time will be used as a familiar draw for gamers – and that includes whatever nostalgic trend is popular.
When Marvel movies became incredibly popular in the 2010s, there was a whole host of related slots – and that is what will happen with whatever becomes the pop culture of tomorrow.
Even with new trends and movies, there will still be the Ancient Egypt and Luck of the Irish slots, though.
These are tried and tested themes that have endured and remained popular for years and will be around for a very long time yet.
If fruit symbols and the Liberty Bell can still draw the crowds, there is no reason not to expect the most popular slots themes of today to still be being played 30 or 40 years from now.