1xSlots: What trends are predicted in gambling and why is it all the fault of the increased struggle for the attention of players?
1xSlots analyses how VR and AR are transforming the igaming industry, capturing players’ attention in a digital age.
Opinion.- One of the most interesting trends in the igaming industry is the introduction of VR and AR technologies. It would seem that the whole hype went along with the release of Apple Vision Pro — the much-discussed unit eventually turned out to be forgotten after a couple of months. In this article, 1xSlots reveals how the development of these areas relates to online casinos and the high competition between market leaders.
Dopamine pits
Modern teenagers are increasingly confronted with this concept, but what does gambling have to do with it? It’s no secret that in all areas of our lives, marketers and companies are fighting for our attention.
Instagram and TikTok are full of “information gum” and content consumption and demands are increasing every year. If you haven’t captured the viewer’s attention in your reels in two seconds, consider that you’ve lost.
This is where dopamine pits come from: when the brain doesn’t get its “bubble gum” (distraction from reality, endless vivid images that capture attention and drag on for hours), it falls into a dopamine pit. This condition is most often associated with apathy, lethargy, nervousness and loss of strength.
Don’t you feel the analogy?
Gambling projects work according to the same pattern: the more vivid images, sounds and small victories there are, the more the player gets hooked on them. An additional tool for engagement is the social networks of the bookmakers and casinos themselves, where the same content is duplicated. As a result, the player finds himself in a vicious circle of the dopamine bubble gum of casinos and betting.
The struggle for attention
Obviously, every project has full-time creators, SMM managers and, sometimes, memologists who endlessly generate content. But here we are faced with the problem of dopamine pits in players: they experience rejection from already boring interaction formats, which is why they can “jump off the hook” and go to another project with new visual solutions. (Still wondering why the player’s LTV is getting smaller and smaller every year?)
This is where new game formats in the gambling industry enter the ring. How to fully capture the player’s attention? Should I immerse him as much as possible in a slot or Live casino? Arrange a trip to Las Vegas? Or maybe make it completely virtual?
It sounds like scenes from «WALL-E» or a post-punk dystopian world, but this is already a reality.
The introduction of VR and AR technologies creates a fully immersive experience that goes beyond the usual, allowing players to experience new emotions, and operators to expand the range of gaming possibilities.
Cons?
You won’t know until you try, but we’ve found a few:
- The high cost of adapting games
- Not all players have the opportunity to buy a VR helmet (but for companies it is a chance to establish additional points of interaction: rental of a branded helmet, VR zones in cities, gift boxes, etc.)
- Limited game time (it is physically difficult to stay in a VR headset for longer than 30-50 minutes)
What other disadvantages do you think?
While we wait and watch, all adaptations begin with the giants of the industry… Or is it not?
