A New Take on the Fruit Machine?

A new breed of fruit machines is emerging.

Readers of Slot Guard should all be familiar with the fruit machine. It’s a game that everyone, even inexperienced gamblers, have encountered at one point in their lives, and it’s probably the most popular form of gambling in the world. In some parts of the world, fruit machines have even trumped casinos, appearing in bars and other places that sell beer as a source of entertainment for patrons (possibly because fruit machine hire is one of the quickest and easiest ways for bar owners to grab a bit of extra cash!).

But while many of us remember fruit machines to be pretty straightforward (after all, there’s nothing complicated about pulling a lever and hoping for the best, right?), it seems that developers are quickly finding ways to revolutionize and innovate the one-armed bandit. Rather than just sit there and push a button or pull a lever, fruit machine patrons can now play a bigger part in earning their winnings.

Players of actual fruit machines will probably have noticed the new machines that have come out, with their flashing lights and flashy LCD or touch screens. These games are now more interactive than ever. For example, we see Bally Technologies make full use of their iDeck in the game “All That Jazz!”, where players play a virtual piano to score points in the bonus round, and it’s a welcome break from the monotony of just spinning reels and waiting for the symbols to match up.

Online slot players will also be familiar with this trend. Not only are we seeing more themed fruit machines – with no actual fruits and different themes, but some operators are taking the experience down an all new path altogether. Dragonplay Slot not only include different mini-games, they also allow for competitive multiplayer slot machine gaming, and Spin Genie, a newly-opened gaming website, turns slot gaming into an action-adventure experience by adding elements of exploration and an actual plot to the mix.

Of course, whether this is good or bad remains to be seen. On the one hand, it’s sure to entice a lot of gamers who had turned away from fruit machines in the past because they seemed to be too basic; on the other, some patrons may not enjoy all the extra work that needs to go into playing on the machine. What are your opinions on these new fruit machines?