Mobile jackpot casinos are all over the internet. Some of these sites are great, while others need improvement. This website previously posted an article titled “Things that annoy in online gaming”. From a programmer’s perspective, I wanted to respond.
1. Lack of language localization
This is more likely due to the framework that is being used under the surface of the website, than the website itself. There are two parts to the website, the parts that are controlled by the framework and the parts that are considered “content”.
The framework parts easily translate from one language to another, because it was put into the design. But for some reason having two pages that are essentially the same page “About Us” in English and “About Us” in French, that was not put into the framework design.
To truly fix this problem, the framework needs to be fixed.
2. Lack of autoplay mode
What is the purpose of using autoplay on a gaming website beyond gambling addiction?
In other words, where is the fun, which I think that autoplay takes away?
How does music and sound effect gambling? The answer to that involves the “fun” factor. Even if a website is a gambling website, should that be the whole goal of the gambling website? Should the entire website be about gambling (the physical act of gambling)? Or should it be about creating a “fun” environment where the whole experience is enjoyable regardless of if a person is winning or losing?
So how is that done? I watch kids play online games. These kids are the future customers of gambling websites. What do they like to do that is different from generations of the past? They like to play in creation mode. They enjoy creating the game as much as actually playing the game. They enjoy exploration. They explore the environment, not just what they create, but what their friends have created and even mods that others have added to the environment.
Atlantic City and Las Vegas both have slot machines, but some people choose to vacation in Atlantic City while others choose to vacation in Las Vegas? Why? The answer is the other things they experience beyond just gambling.
The idea is to attract more than just the gambling addict, but to attract, for example, the guy sitting on a train that logs into the website to “decompress” from the stresses of the day before returning home.
3. Fixed number of paylines in slots
A payline is a combination of symbols that results in a win on a slot machine. Original physical slot machines had only one payline, and that would be won with three matching symbols created in a horizontal line. Now slot machines can have anywhere from 9 to 243 paylines! 243 paylines? Why?
Let us look at the history of slot machines. Somewhere between 1885 and 1897, a Californian car mechanic Charles Fey invented the first mechanical slot machine which featured 4 symbols on three wheels. Charles Fey invented the slot machine as a way to entertain his guests while they were waiting for their cars to be repaired.
What if those 243 paylines were used to create a logo? You spin the wheel, and boom, McDonald’s logo appears — congratulations, you just won a coupon to supersize your next McDonald’s meal.
Why does a payline have to equal physical money, and why does the gambling company itself have to create the reward?
4. Minimum user settings
Everybody loves playing with user settings. Colors, size of fonts, how the fonts look.
But what about sound? One standard casino encourages its customers to do music requests. It makes customers happy and happy customers are returning customers. Does an online gaming website have to be free of interpersonal interaction?
What about DJ services? No matter how much the internet has taken over, the role of the DJ and the radio has not disappeared from our society. Again, I am thinking of the guy decompressing while riding on the train at the end of the day or even just the sounds while driving home.
5. Obsessive video clips
Most video games have video clips. Some do these very well, while others are horrible. In the category of good ones, I am thinking of the Lego Star Wars games from 15 years ago. The video games were hilarious and a player could walk around in the game to go to different activities.
It was a combination of enjoyable videos, exploration of the game environment, game creation, and standard gameplay. Essentially what the next generation is going to expect in their “adult” gambling games.
6. No mobile support
Most developers develop a website on a PC first and then try to convert the PC version to a mobile version. Today’s theory on website design is to design for the smallest screen first, a phone, and then move up to tablets and finally the PC.
This is not an excuse. It is an acknowledgment that you are 100% correct in your complaint. In today’s mobile environment, it is bad programming to design a website or web application that is not tested on mobile devices.
Conclusion
Some of these complaints are specific to the gaming industry, while others are issues with the whole online/mobile industry as a whole. What are your online pet-peeves?