Have you ever played a one-armed bandit before? They’re easy to use: simply insert a coin (or coins) into the machine and then pull a lever at the side to set the reels in motion. And if three matching symbols turn up on a payline, you win. Although one-armed bandits have been around for quite a while, they remain popular. But there are many other types of slot games these days, too, so let’s look at how slot games have changed over the years or click to learn more.
The First Slot Game: Liberty Bell
Charles Fey, a car mechanic in San Francisco, invented the first slot machine in 1895. His Liberty Bell machine boasted three reels and each of these contained five symbols: spades, hearts, diamonds, horseshoes and liberty bells. There was only one payline (a line where wins occur) on Fey’s mechanical machine and if a player landed three matching symbols on this, she or he won a prize. Lining up three liberty bells on the payline gave the biggest payout – 50 cents. Fey’s game proved so popular, other companies started entering the market. And even though the symbols and the amount of paylines changed a little, mechanical slot games like Liberty Bell ruled the roost for the next 50 or 60 years.
Electromechanical Slot Games
In the 1950s a new kind of slot machine emerged – the electromechanical slot. Although it boasted a lever and spinning reels like the mechanical slot, it was powered by an electric motor instead of springs. Consequently, slot games became more complex and included things like multipliers for the first time. What’s more, jackpots increased dramatically. For instance, you could win 500 coins in one of the most popular games during this era, Money Honey.
Video Slot Games
The one-armed bandit’s (slots with levers on the side) monopoly on slot games disappeared in 1975 when Fortune, the first video slot, was released. Though Walter Fraley’s game wasn’t really a hit with slot players, it heralded a new era for slots. Video slots were the first to make use of computer chips and didn’t require springs or motors. In addition, when slot developers started to take advantage of digital technology, they were able to increase paylines and introduce more bonus features into games.
Online Slot Games
Although internet slot games were invented in the 1990s, they didn’t really start to catch on until home computing became popular in the noughties. And thanks to the internet, slots with massive progressive jackpots – like Microgaming’s Mega Moolah – emerged. The quality of online games has improved dramatically over the past decade or so due to faster internet speeds and advances in computer technology. Plus, because developers are now making movie-themed slots and incorporating skill elements into their games, some modern games are blurring the boundaries between slots and computer games.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, slot games have evolved a lot since Liberty Bell. So, how about giving them a spin right now?
