In Praise of Progress – How the Digital Age Has Changed the Humble Slot Machine

Despite the fact that the world can at times feel like it is moving backwards, there is a huge amount to be positive about. We have never lived in a more peaceful era, child mortality and poverty is steadily decreasing, and child literacy is on the rise. However, it can be difficult to keep these things at the forefront of our mind as we make our way through the 24 hour news cycle that is the modern world. While this article is not an attempt to say that there should be more positive stories on the news, it should serve as a reminder to not only focus on the negative. Again, this is not to say that we shouldn’t continue to try and improve the world, but that we should use the incredible progress we have already made as inspiration for further development.

The astonishing advancements in technology serve as the perfect example. Computers have been transformed from needing full rooms to be stored in, to an object that you can easily fit in your back pocket. The internet is no longer something that would restrict you from using your landline telephone, but instead, has ultimately come to make its need, in the first place, obsolete.

The sheer magnitude of the impact of the digital age can at times be a difficult thing to wrap our heads around. So how can we approach its impact on a smaller scale. Well, let's take a look at something that has gone through the process of transitioning from being a mechanical system of reels and levers, to being computerised, before finally making its way online – that's right, we are talking about the slot machine!

How It All Began

In the late 1880s, Charles Fey of San Francisco, created the first fully functioning mechanical slot machine, named the Liberty Bell. It consisted of three spinning wheels and contained a total of five symbols: hearts, spades, diamonds, horseshoes and a liberty bell. By 1910, the Liberty Bell slot's design had been replicated by numerous other manufactures and could be found up and down the United States of America in bowling alleys, saloons, cigar stores and various other public establishments.

A Brave New World

By the 1980s, the computerization of slot machines allowed business owners to manually change the probability of every symbol on every reel. The technological advancement of slot machines was further confounded when graphical reels replaced mechanical reels in the form of video slot machines. This meant that slot machines games could now easily house five reels, which opened up a world of possibilities moving forward.

Once the internet made its way into the majority of peoples homes and online casinos began to become popular, the humble slot machine changed forever. Not only could people spin the wheels of a slot machine from anywhere in the world, but there was an abundance of themed slot machines to choose from. Depending on your mood, you could play a sports based slot, a movie themed slot or even spend your time with a host of new characters in the form of the fantastic Rainbow Riches Reels of Gold slot machine. The digital age has not only resulted in a huge variety of games, but has vastly improved the overall gameplay, especially when it comes to the graphics and audio quality of the games.

While it might seem like a left field example, the amazing progress of the humble slot machine should serve as a constant reminder for the astonishing creativity and ingenuity that humans are capable of. Its creation in the 1880s was already an incredible feat and has its journey so far demonstrates the advancements we can make as a species.