There are plenty of interesting points about the design, marketing, and specialziation of video slot machine production. You start from the principle of having a proper mathematical model, and then add interesting creases to the design language, making sure that you have an attractive product with discernible elements of upside.
Creativity can stem from many different factors, but the adaptation of popular tropes is certainly one of them. Interesting details and daring creative choices are at the core of an interesting slot, especially if it wants to prove that it can provide something new to the market.
Given that there are quite a few tropes that any savvy eye can see in the iGaming market, one of the most relevant ways to explore its aesthetic trends is to look into the ‘Book of…’ model. It’s one of the most relevant archetypes of design in the world of online gambling, showcasing a penchant for surprising versatility.
With this article, we wanted to take an analytical angle and explore why this model has gained so much traction over the years. Naturally, we cannot pinpoint the exact reasons with scientific accuracy, but we can definitely speculate with educated guesses. The outright visibility of this phenomenon makes it ripe for a watchful discussion!
A tradition that keeps on living
Why do we look at this particular concept as one that is so popular that it deserves its own analytical piece? The truth comes from the numbers. In its database, slotscalendar counts over 500 titles that have the ‘Book of…’ denomination or something similar.
This marks a tremendously huge number for a certain trend, showing that any theme can adopt the ‘Book of…’ model in such a way that it makes marketing sense. Moreover, it has become a norm to look into various motifs and subthemes and try to adopt them with this name in front of them.
The tradition actually stems from Novomatic’s 2005 hyper-hit ‘Book of Ra,’ which has brought a new level of attention to the desirability of adventuresome slots. That specific point has felt like a springboard, launching a craze that has continued with ‘Book of Dead,’ a slot launched a decade after ‘Book of Ra,’ showcasing timelessness and continued viability.
A Copycat Industry?
Novomatic’s competitors have adopted this denomination because of the success Book of Ra showcased. Simply put, smart people in charge of the rest of the top producers in the same market sector have understood that this title was a breakthrough, not just lightning in a bottle.
Every new video slot with this name has represented an opportunity to catch the same wave. Some have done it better than others, such as Play’n Go’s aforementioned Book of Dead. In fact, it’s arguable that Book of Dead, a game launched specifically for online play (unlike Book of Dead’s early run), was even more successful than its predecessor.
Online gambling is a copycat industry because the wiggle room tends to be quite small due to the tight regulations required by the nature of the product that it promotes. Moreover, the audience appreciates the simplicity of a game that has enough special features that it feels unique, but a familiar structure that does not feel overwhelming in any way.
When any practice or model becomes such an undeniable hit in the industry, it becomes an asset that all the competitors will want to exploit for their own upside. In fact, the competitive imitation strategy is nothing new. It’s a practice that requires the identification of the ingredients behind a successful recipe and applying them in such a way that it does not bring about copyright infringements.
Narrative structuring and dynamics
In a 2023 study on narrative design, Raffaella Trocchianeschi finds that ‘the narrative approach helps to develop methods confronting complex issues[…]’ which is something that, even in the context of something as simple to grasp as slot gameplay, applies very clearly.
The idea revolves around the possibility of adding a flow of metaphors and dynamics that make every experience have its own arc. Looking at any type of ‘Book of…’ slot will tell you that there is at least a protagonist who is engaged in a certain quest. Book of Dead has Rich Wilde, who is an adventurer willing to engage with mythological elements of history in order to find both truth and bounty.
As such, every spin of the game feels less like a foray into luck and more like yet another step in that adventure. The reward, which the player will definitely identify as a winning spin, is the treasure that the protagonist of a ‘Book of…’ game will seek.
Special features, a dynamic element of slot design, are their own microcosms of events that change the pace of the game, making it feels less monotonous, and more ripe with new opportunities to enjoy a twist of fate.
Naturally, these are ensnaring elements that can generate other types of issues, specifically in regard to gambling addiction. Overbearing design is just as much of a mistake as narrative design can be a high-upside benefit.
A sense of mystery and wonder
The ‘Book of…’ formula requires certain strategic choices when it comes to the thematic modules that it needs to employ. It needs something as attractive as mythology, history, adventure, or a mixture of all of them.
Adventure is endearing because it implies risk. The value of an adventure is about stepping into the unknown, with who-knows-what types of results. Given that every slot spin has the same feeling, the thematic fit is, without a doubt, very easy to spot. Moreover, adventure implies mystery, which is a point of attraction that creates a hunger for answers.
If such a slot has enough surprises in its design, it really feels like a book full of unexpected chapters. The idea of structure, with each spin being a page with its own mysterious contents (spin’s outcome), will always be attractive.
The value of nostalgia
Lastly, we need to bring up the idea of how businesses are monetizing nostalgia. It should come as no particular surprise that one of the main calling cards of both Book of Dead and Book of Ra has been the striking similarity to a certain series of movies directed by Steven Spielberg, stemming from a concept created by George Lucas himself.
The character of Indiana Jones, the inspiration behind this mix of action-adventure-archaeology trifecta that has been inspiring slots of this sort, is where the foremost value of this ‘Book of…’ style lies. It’s an incredibly fun concept, without a doubt, as proven by how relevant, popular, and beloved this franchise has been.
In fact, we can look at several generations of current-day slot gambling fans who grew up watching the Indiana Jones films. Being able to recapture the feelings of reliving those moments from the films, but in the format of a slot, is a proposition that we can easily see as valuable in the context of slot creation.
The ‘Book of…’ games from this genre are the perfect example of that.
Conclusion
To wrap up, there are both business and creative choices that are at the root of this kind of level of popularity. As long as you identify their upside as a keen player, you should be able to exploit the best that they have to give. However, they are still pieces of gambling, which is why you need to play responsibly!