The Top Retro Games Vegas Should Adopt
For those who are unfamiliar with Las Vegas and casino gaming in general, it’s easy to have the wrong idea about slot machines. It’s become a fairly common talking point that millennials don’t gravitate toward this particular kind of gaming, and it’s easy to assume that the reason why is because slots are dull. People imagine the classic cherry symbols, “BAR” signs and other wheel icons that are frankly meaningless aside from the fact that slots have taught us to associate them with value. And it appears that this isn’t enough for younger gamers or perhaps modern attention spans in general.
What you may not realize if you don’t associate yourself with this world however is that casinos have tried to innovate. Both in person and on the Internet, game makers have strived to inject themes into slots and similar games. Several popular movies have been used as the thematic basis for slot games, including Gladiator and Ace Ventura. Major rock bands and TV shows have been used similarly. Sometimes this works and draws more attention to slots and sometimes it doesn’t, but the effort is indication that people are trying to make casino gaming more modern and more interesting.
Now, these efforts are expanding in a way that may be more intriguing to ordinary gamers. The last year has brought on a barrage of headlines about casinos, and Vegas in particular, exploring ways to incorporate video games into gambling. That is, rather than striving to make slots more engaging, they’re looking at providing an alternative – something more like an arcade in which gaming outcomes could be bet on in various ways. It would seem likely that early efforts will involve things like modern shooters or eSports hits. But this could also be a major area of opportunity for retro games. People, including young people who may not have been alive when some of these games came out, love retro gaming. And these games may ultimately be simpler for casinos to adopt.
This is at least partly theoretical, but it does seem likely enough that at least some retro games will make it into casinos. These, we believe, would be some of the best options.
Space Invaders – One of the great retro games of all time, this would seem to be a perfect option. It’s easy to play on a small machine that would take up no more space than a slot, and betting could work in numerous ways. Plus, this game could easily be infused with effects that would make it more casino-like, even if that just means colors, flashes, and amplified laser sounds.
Super Mario 64 – Yes, it’s probably about time we call this a retro game. It’s more than 20 years old. The thing is, plenty of people still think it’s the best game they’ve ever played! Betting wouldn’t be quite as natural here, but there’s one simple format that would work for everyone. Two players could square off to see who finishes a level first, each buying in to play. The winner would take some 90 percent of the total buy-in, with the casino taking 10.
Street Fighter – This iconic fighter could adopt the same model as Super Mario 64 for multiplayer betting. Or, players could play through an arcade mode on a difficult setting, earning money for each stage reached. Whatever the case it would be a shame not to include this or an early version of Tekken or Mortal Kombat.
Pac-Man – Now we’re going truly old school, but who doesn’t love Pac-Man? People who most certainly never played it in a movie theater lobby or mall arcade even download it on their phones and get into it. Betting could be as simple as earning tiny fractions of a buy in back with every dot eaten, with ghosts or level completion earning bonuses.
Tetris – It’s another of the most beloved games of all time, and a sort of continual survival mode could make for a fascinating betting opportunity. Casinos could literally set up a meter that shows players what they’re earning the longer they play. This would conceivably even attract small crowds as buzz would build when a player surpasses his buy in and starts to earn a reward.
