AI has seamlessly integrated itself into our daily lives as the revolutionary technology continues to unleash greater and greater capabilities. Time and time again AI has shown that it can stand up to the task of problem-solving, decision-making and answer calls of creativity. People from all walks of life and industry are relying on it more and more including in the world of online casinos.
AI is already being used to strengthen security at online platforms, by monitoring gambling habits and accounts. It is also heavily employed by casinos to deliver more targeted individualised experiences to players as well, instead of just giving everyone the same generic one. But can it also play a role in the actual design of online casino slots, and if so, would players ever know?
New Casinos, New Innovations
The online casino industry is highly crowded and competitive, which means that operators are always trying to stand out and gain an advantage over others. Innovation is key to achieving that. For example, some UK brands launch sister casino sites – platforms that are operated by the same parent company or under the same management group. It’s a common practice in other countries as well. These sites typically share similar features, such as game libraries, software providers, bonus structures, and security standards, but may differ in branding, design, or certain unique offerings.
This strategy helps companies attract attention in a busy industry, test which interfaces or themes resonate best with users, and appeal to different types of players without starting from scratch each time.
But along with player-friendly sites, casinos need more new and unique games. This puts pressure on providers to keep coming up with something different. Could AI help them with design, for example?
Asset Creation
Most of us have dabbled with AI image creation from simple text prompts. It is an exciting, intriguing way to put thoughts into pictures. The fact that AI has the capability to create images, means that incorporating the technology into the design of casino games, really isn’t a big stretch.
Midjourney is one of the pioneering image generators and still rates very highly, while others, like Stable Diffusion and Imagefx by Google, all pack a punch as well.
Slots are heavy with graphical elements like the title, background, symbols and surrounding on-screen environment. It’s that imagery which is the first point of engagement players encounter.
Having AI generate images based around a slot’s theme, is a simple step. With the right technology, AI can produce consistent visuals for a game’s user interface, based on a few style references and specific prompts.
Animations
Another aesthetic of slot machines is animations which give a fuller, immersive experience. This is another area where AI can flex its creative muscle, although arguably not to the same degree as text-prompt image generation has, as creating animations is a lot more expensive to do than images.
But the AI power to do it is out there. Efficient and creative models that can already handle everything from anime style to photorealism include Kling, Hailuo MiniMax and Luma Labs Dream Machine.
For slot game animations, AI could be used to produce splash screens when a bonus round has been triggered, title sequences and any motion required for symbols like making one pulse or explode into confetti.
Creative Layouts
Another area of online slot design where AI could play a role is in creating the layout design of the grid. While the majority of slots run off a simple grid like 5×3, there are alternatives out there, like cross formations and honeycomb-shaped interfaces.
Using AI to generate newer formats of reel and row layouts that are pleasing on the eye, could ultimately be a game-changer and make a slot stand out.
Conceptual Development
Arguably, the most impactful way that AI could be used in the design of online slot games is conceptually. AI has the power to perform deep research and analysis about trends, which can help game designers pinpoint prominent elements of design from some of the most successful existing slots.
The feedback from things like design trends can then be used as a platform for generating new ideas. The power of AI relies on the user’s ability to use it as a tool for exploration through brainstorming, and responding to feedback. Everything from color palettes to art styles can be put under the microscope by AI to help understand what design elements are more likely to hit.
Human Oversights
There is still a big need for human oversight and creativity at the end of the day in slot design. No game designer is likely to leave it fully up to the whims of AI for all of its design elements as AI’s capability for asset creation perhaps isn’t the ace up the sleeve, it’s in how it can be used for inspiration.
By using specific research parameters, AI can create the most visually appealing game possible that will score with an audience. Is AI already being used in this capacity? Potentially. Would end-users know? No.
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