Video gaming is a form of leisure entertainment and has been around for some time. Today, it’s more popular than ever with the video gaming market being valued at over $85 billion in 2020. Simply expressed, video gaming is huge. Below is a look at video gaming, with a particular focus on retro video gaming and the world of slots.

Photo, Adam Mills.

Gamers Enjoying Retro Themed Games

Tetris, Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros … all classics that people could still happily play and not notice the time as it zips by. The fact that crowds are flocking to see movies such as Sonic the Hedgehog, a movie based on a video game character, is proof of just how dear people hold retro games to their hearts.

Game designers and developers know this, which is why they haven’t abandoned the retro-loving communities; still producing games that appeal to these people.

Photo, Dear.

Retro in the World of Online Slots

Online slots are one type of game you might consider retro. They’re easy to play and, although online slots are newer, slots themselves have been around long before the days of the internet.

Slots in their earlier days consisted of a machine with a lever, giving them the nickname ‘one-armed bandits’. Until the 1900s, the symbols on slots had been the suits of poker cards. As slots developed, these became replaced with the fruit symbols that give slots that retro feel. The manual approach to the game gave players the feeling they could control the game and its outcome, which contributed to the popularity of slots. They then became more electromechanical, but still featured a lever until video slots finally arrived.

But slots have transitioned from being present in bars, arcades and casinos, to occupying the online space. At first, online slots were similar to the slots you’d find in land-based establishments, offering fruit symbols and more retro themes. Then computer programming removed a lot of restrictions. New themes, layouts and structures began to emerge. Today, you’ll see slots with five reels or more. The symbols have changed and there are bonus features. Now there are a lot more online slot developers than there are land-based machine makers.

The reasons for the popularity of slots themselves are many. They provide the players with convenience, because they can play them from the comfort of their own homes. They’re engaging and, importantly, they’re affordable. Players can also play demo versions of the game to get familiar with the game before deciding to start playing it for real cash. Why not get an idea of the slots available by taking a look at some of the slot games in the UK?

Photo, Pablo Arenas.

The Return of Games Consoles

Although games consoles never really went away, some of the giants of the late 1980s, 1990s and noughties have been mounting a comeback. In those days, it was war between Nintendo and Sega, before Sony and Microsoft arrived on the scene and became successful combatants in the arena.

Maybe since then, Sony and Microsoft have ruled the roost a little too long for the liking of Sega, and we recently saw the release of the Crash Bandicoot: N Sane trilogy. Not only have Sega been gearing to go to war in the consoles world these past few years. Atari, who were also once a force in video gaming, also want a slice of the pie again. They’ve gone for it with the VCS, which is something of a mini-PC for which you can even buy retro joysticks.

The Love of Nostalgia

Playing retro video games definitely introduces a special feeling of nostalgia, one of the big reasons why retro video games receive so much love. When you play them, you’re doing more than just playing a video game: it’s as if you stop being an adult and become a child again. It’s an escape from all the responsibilities of being an adult.

It’s not just the feeling of being a child that endears retro games to players, however. The design of these games also induces fondness. For some gamers, these gamers take them back to time when the design of games was so much simpler, more two dimensional. The music was also simpler. All the while, the games were still highly engaging.

Video gaming continues to be extremely popular, as the industry has gone from strength to strength. Even as companies develop modern titles, however, there are still sections of the gaming community that possess a fondness for retro games, something which the gaming industry recognises and, as a result of which, it continues to offer titles for these players too.