Slot machines are carefully crafted to be as appealing as possible. Not only do they have to be visually eye-catching to grab players’ attention in the first place, but having the power to retain players for a long session is what the casino ultimately wants.
Slot machines rely heavily on their aesthetics, like game icons and backgrounds, to hook players, while gaming mechanics and bonuses reinforce the engagement.
But there is another element of slots, a more divisive one that’s also part of the parcel, and that’s the soundtrack.
Causal players are likely to just keep that repetitive tune going, as it creates a bit of atmosphere. But slot games come with a mute button, and it’s believed that many experienced players hit that before starting to spin the reels.
Why? It’s not down to a matter of taste, but instead, shutting off the soundtrack to a game is actually a tactical decision.
Embracing the Sonic Hug
Players will see many of the same slot machines, like the Motorhead, Jimi Hendrix and Guns N ‘Roses ones, hosted at different operators.
Fortunately, players have a lot of choice over online licensed casino platforms in the countries where online gambling is allowed.
In Romania, for example, expert sites like https://legalbet.ro/cazinouri/ help users find the most suitable by reviewing regulated operators along with their features and bonuses.
But it’s not only the rock and roll-themed slots that have music pumping out, but all slots also do, because soundtracks are essentially a sonic hug forged from psychological science.
Slot machine music is designed to make the experience more immersive, to help players lose track of time. A quicker, upbeat tempo is also more likely to increase the speed of play and encourage riskier betting.
Slower-paced soundtracks are designed to keep players playing for longer sessions by creating a state of flow.
While the background music plays along, that’s intertwined with special soundbites, like a guitar solo when landing a win, or a some kind of catchy hook for a small win that’s not a win, as this tricks the brain into thinking a success has been scored, even though it was just a 20p win from a £1 stake.
The Heavy Influence
Music can heavily influence how a player engages with a slot machine. For that reason, it is believed that turning off the soundtrack allows for more cognitive control during a session, and this is a trend which has been seen time and time again by professional slot streamers and people who do a lot of high-volume gambling.
Many serious slots players will indeed switch off the music completely and play the slot in silence, or, alternatively, put their own curated music on. But is there any real benefit to hitting that mute button?
The Mindset
Professional or just experienced players like to stay in the mindset that they are there for serious business. They will likely have studied the RTP (Return to Player) and mechanics of a machine to understand what they are getting into. So concentration becomes an utmost priority to try and make the most of that experience.
Studies from the University of Waterloo focused on the fact that loud, engaging soundtracks can lead players to overestimate how often they are winning.
So, cutting out the “emotional noise” that a machine produces during regular play (like for near misses and ‘losses disguised as wins’) means that serious players are shielding themselves from the potential of a dopamine hit that the sounds are designed to produce.
That rolls into them potentially being more focused and having a clear mind for important decision-making during gameplay, like managing the bankroll.
Experienced players, therefore, will often do all they can to avoid getting into the “zone” (i.e. getting lost in the music) so that they don’t lose track of the time, planning, strategy and budget.
Keeping It On
This naturally doesn’t apply to all players, because shutting off music means eliminating some of the entertainment aspect.
Playing on the Jimi Hendrix slot, for example, without hearing any legendary riffs, could dull the experience for some people. But then that comes back to the argument of efficiency of play versus entertainment.
The fact that music is playing on a slot isn’t going to change the result of a spin, so there’s not a technical reason to shut it down.
But music can influence a player’s reaction to previous spins by softening the blow of a loss and really amping up the thrill of a win when they happen.
So, experienced players may well block out the noise, believing they gain greater focus on the task at hand by doing so.
But some players just want that full thrill of hearing a snippet of the Ace of Spades thunder out of the speakers when a certain combo is hit.
With many years of professional experience within transnational corporations in different industries, Richard Jaimes has had the opportunity to lead people and organizations, investigate future topics, create strategies and innovations, consult senior management and translate insights into business advantages. Richard is also a long time senior consultant with Quantumrun Foresight.
