Populations in emerging economies are currently the fastest-growing regions for online gaming in terms of annual growth rate. The broader Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is also experiencing high growth in specific emerging countries within it, such as India and Southeast Asia.
Casino operators, game developers and other industry insiders are reaching out to gamers in these regions with Vegas slots real money gaming experiences that highlight the localities' cultures, traditions and histories.
Diversity in Slots Themes
The online casino is a true digital melting pot. Gamers can log into an account from anywhere in the world and play any of the casino games at any time and from any location.
Traditionally, most online casino players have come from areas of the world where Internet access is readily available and where online banking operates smoothly. However, in recent years, there's been significant growth in new players and market value in regions where regulation is newly evolving and mobile technology is being rapidly adopted.
Despite this growth, the majority of slot machines still lean heavily on Western and generalized themes, including themes of Irish luck, Norse mythology and ancient Egypt, as well as generic fruit and bell classics. While these themes appeal to most players worldwide, it's clear that gaming designers will need to start to create a more diverse games lobby that will appeal to players from non-Western regions
Shifting from the traditional slot theme favorites to more diverse content is a critical business strategy for the expanding online gaming market.
Business Sense
Diversifying the slots lobby at the online casino makes sense business-wise. There's a greater likelihood that players in emerging regions will engage with games that reflect their local histories, mythologies, traditions, celebrations and cultures. Players are more likely to trust a casino that demonstrates respect for their local cultural symbols.
Players look beyond the game themes when looking for games that reflect their beliefs and traditions. For instance, in Asia, specific colors (like red and gold) and symbols (dragons, koi fish and specific numbers) are associated with luck and prosperity – incorporating such elements into a game design enhances the emotional draw of the game for casino visitors from such regions.
Other examples of localized game themes include:
- The Zodiac – in many areas of Asia, the zodiac is deeply meaningful, with fortune symbols enhancing the atmosphere of luck and prosperity
- Aztec/Inca history – the history of the Aztecs and Incas evokes strong national pride for many gamers in South and Central America through ties to the regions' ancient history and heroes.
- Islamic Geometric art, deserts and Arabian Nights folklore – rich, non-Western historical narratives and visually stunning traditional design motifs. resonate for many gamers in the Middle East
- TV shows, games, movies – appeal to Westerners and others who are looking for a connection with nostalgia and popular entertainment preferences.
Challenges
Creating a diverse slot portfolio is complex and requires careful navigation and a focus on respecting the beliefs and traditions of others. Game designers must remember that what is a beloved cultural icon in one region can be considered deeply offensive or even offensive in another.
Developers must employ local experts to avoid using sensitive religious, political, or historical imagery incorrectly. Even small differences, like adapting the game for languages that might read right-to-left (like Hebrew or Arabic) instead of left-to-right and ensuring that text length and formatting are correct for languages with complex characters (i.e. Chinese) are important.
Some of the most recent slots releases that were developed for diverse audiences include:
Shogun Princess Quest
The Shogun Princess Quest slot takes you into the mysterious world of Japanese warriors with captivating symbols, priceless treasures and lucrative bonus features. This anime gaming adventure is set against the backdrop of a mountaintop palace where the young princess sits, protecting the kingdom's wealth.
Game symbols include a fierce pink lion, an imposing green dragon, a friendly blue frog and the kingdom's pot of gold along with calligraphed letters and numbers. The Hasu Lotus Flower – which in Japan symbolizes purity, enlightenment and spiritual growth -- is the game Wild which rises from murky waters to embody the concept of rising above adversity.
The Princess is the Scatter symbol. Three Scatters, appearing in any pattern on the reels, trigger the
Fortune Wheel Feature. You'll be prompted to spin the Fortune Wheel to activate one of three possible bonus games, including:
- The Bonus Wheel Feature where you can win a multiplier, a COLLECT that allows you to collect all winnings or a X2 UP that doubles your wins that you've collected to that point.
- The Nudging Wild Feature which awards you 8 free spins with the Wild nudging from one position to the next to cover the entire reel with Wilds.
- The Every Spin Wins Feature where you receive 8 free spins with Overlay Wilds. Every spin guarantees a payout.
Aztecs Millions
The mighty Aztec Nation is the focus of this dynamic slot where everyone has a chance to collect some of the riches from Aztecs' treasure houses. The six-reel slot machine displays images of leopards, kings, princesses, headdresses, old statues, and, of course, glittering jewels and shining coins.
If the Aztec princess symbol lands on reels two, three, four, five, or six she triggers multipliers from 5x and up. If she appears on the left-side reel, the payout doubles.
The Aztec King is the Wild which substitutes for all other symbols to create winning payouts. If the Golden Idol symbol emerges, it can trigger winnings with multipliers of up to 100x per game. When three or more idols emerge simultaneously in any pattern on the reels it will activate the free spins bonus round. Depending on the number of scatters that activate the free spins round, you'll collect between 5 and 25 free spins. 3 or more scatters appearing on a free spin will retrigger the entire free spins round.
If five Aztec Millions Logos appear on any spin, you'll win the progressive jackpot, which delivers a lucrative progressive jackpot prize!
The era of "one-size-fits-all" slot machine themes is no more. Game designers are creating a whole new world of diverse slots to appeal to any interest and any fantasy. Check out our game variety at Grande Vegas.
