The bonus games in slots are supposed to give you a sense of agency, a feeling of control. “Yeah, sure, slots are completely random, but now I’m finally given the chance to use my skills and wits and win it big!” is what you’re supposed to be thinking when you finally luck out and manage to activate a bonus game… But that’s not really how it works, is it? Bonus games, while giving you a certain illusion of choice, are still completely and entirely random, with no strategy to help you win. A common bonus game is selecting one of several objects, each of which holds a random prize for you. Imagine 5 cups, each of which holds 1 coin, 2 coins, 3 coins, 4 coins and 5 coins, but you don’t know which one holds what. You’re just supposed to pick one out at random and see what you get. You’re given a choice that’s not really a choice at all.
If you’ve ever found that frustrating, please know that it’s not really the slot providers’ fault – there is actually a law in many countries which separates arcade games (from which you can’t win money, only prizes) and gambling games (over which you have no control, but can win money). As a result, it would actually be illegal for me to create a slot where the bonus game requires skill instead of luck, and I could be facing a huge fine and maybe even jail time, depending on the country I’m in. In some countries it’s even more complicated – Japan, for instance, has banned random gambling completely, so instead of slots the Japanese play Pachinko machines, which have both skill-based and luck-based gameplay built-in by default.
But if you think that skill-based games should be legal, well, you’re in luck! There’s currently a discussion going on within the government about whether laws should be changed to allow it. As you know, numerous classic games (such as “Black Widow”), are currently set to receive a slot adaptation, so if the law passes there would be literally nothing stopping Namco from releasing a Pac-Man slot where the bonus game allows you to play a round of Pac-Man, and if you manage to clear it you get a bonus winning on top of that. Hell, take it one step further! How awesome would it be to see arcade games in a casino? I’d love to be able to play “Guitar Hero” or “Time Crisis” for real money, and not just because I’m absurdly good at these games. I think it’d be fun, I mean, most casinos only have the same games, so maybe a legalization of arcade games as means of gambling might be really fun? But I’m getting ahead of myself here. For now, the important thing is that we may actually be on the way of getting something truly interactive in our online slots. And that’s no small victory.