There’s almost a mad science about those attractive flashing lights and noises these machines make. Of course, we’re talking about those gaming machines that we see littered around for you to use. But what makes the pull so strong that you always move towards these brightly lit and wonderfully sounding machines? Especially when you know that you’re at a disadvantage to win!
We’ll look at some design features explained by experts that help make pokies one of the most addictive elements in a casino.
Look at the visuals and the sounds
The first design feature comes from what the initial colours are. They are selected to target a wide audience in gambling. For example, according to gambling policy research at Monash University, Charles Livingstone, ”Blue and other softer colours appeal to women. On the other hand, darker coloured games such as those with red or purple highlights will appeal more to those males that like to take risks.”
When it comes to the sound itself, it’s all about the irrational use of it that attracts the users. There are some giving payouts, others simply contributing noise, and some on a repeat to produce galloping-type noise. Livingstone says, “Multiple machines are all going off at once, reinforcing each other and the overall ambiance.”
The notes themselves are never in a minor chord which can be distinctive towards tension or sadness, and always end on a rising note, showing the climax is about to begin.
Other sounds act as alarms but are there to let players know they are at a critical junction in a game. This is also where the potential monotony is broken up with fun tunes, and free spins or plays are given. Livingstone says, “Some people wake up randomly hearing these catchy tunes and just want to start heading back to the venues to play.”
Even when you see a reel being spun and that clicking sound to where it’s going to stop – where it’s going to land has already been decided. The clicking is just to help build up anticipation and excitement, making them want to play more.
The winnings themselves are always randomized as a way of reinforcement. While you cannot determine the next time the machines will provide victory, you will still want to have that feeling of winning, which is pleasurable. Then your brain starts to produce the pleasure chemical dopamine as part of its reward system.
That means an increase in dopamine beyond normal levels. Livingstone goes on and says, “You can get the brain activating dopamine every couple of seconds. So it’s similar to how smartphones and notifications work as well, yet don’t end up costing as much.”
Sally Gainsbury, the Director of the gambling treatment and research clinic situated in the University of Sydney, added. “This makes it hard for people to break their patterns and go back to rational and informed decisions instead of having the machines decide for them.”
Spinning Reels are there as an illusion
As briefly mentioned above, the outcome is already decided when you push the button. Also, with more pokies being built with digital displays, it’s much easier to add more reels and stops without the physical limitations of the machines in the past. Users won’t know how many total reels they have anymore as they cannot see them.
Livingstone states that “players cannot discern if they are close or far away from a win. So they just keep going forward with the plays.”
Gainsbury adds “Since players cannot figure out the exact rules or mechanics, they make up their own and assume that it’s just a matter of time before the machines pay out as if they are on cycles of payouts.” She goes on to say, “Irrationality takes over, and people will assume they deserve a win after playing a certain amount of time.”
Making you feel like you’ve won when you’ve really lost.
How often have we played on these machines and ‘won’ even though the amount won was less than the original bet? You may get three of the five same symbols, the device lights up, and maybe even plays a sound. It’s all meant to ‘disguise losses to look like wins”.
What’s even worse is when you, as the player, win, and the machine pays out more than you’ve bet. You remember that win much clearer than the string of losses it took to get there.
Gainsbury goes on to say that “Each win is a reinforcement, and you get your fix of dopamine. So you can be down overall after you leave, but you still walk away with positive thoughts and thinking it’s a win.”
The trap known as free spins
Sometimes the combination of the various symbols leads to a spin ‘on the house’ or a free spin that it’ll do automatically. But, Livingstone states, “It’s not a free spin; you’ve definitely had to play and lose for quite a while to get those free spins.”
Livingstone with his peers did a study back in 2008 where they discovered that free spins were the primary reason gambling addicts continued to play those machines. “extreme amounts of dopamine are produced, more than the body can handle and leads to that addictive quality,” Livingstone says.
Can one actually win the jackpot?
These are those flashing lights above these machines that state abnormal amounts of winnings for even the smallest bet. First, of course, it’s important to note that New South Wales has a jackpot cap of $10,000, but other states within Australia don’t impose a cap.
According to Livingstone’s data, the odds of winning are similar, if not a bit better, than winning the lottery. However, even knowing this, their allure is strong for many. Gainsbury states that those who’ve already lost quite a significant amount are particularly attracted to those jackpots to recoup their losses.
She goes on to state that “these people feel justified in the fact that they deserve to win since gambling technically is a level playing field, and that means anyone can win anytime.”
