The iGaming industry is a product of the modern century. Some of the first games were certainly published at the tail end of the 1990s. But the sector did not come into its own until the current decade. Online casinos and slot games truly gained an identity only five or so years ago. The industry’s establishment in the modern era all but guarantees that it would be a sector that has adapted to the demands for speed and fast-pace that modern consumers seem to exhibit.
It was from this demand for speed that the concept of short feedback loops came about. Gambling experts have been discussing the concept at length. Affiliates like Casino Groups work diligently to inform new players about the latest bonuses and special features that online casinos have to offer. It should not be surprising that many of them also focus on emerging concepts like feedback loops and their effects on modern players.
It is precisely those effects that we would like to examine in this text. Our goal is to explain what short feedback loops are and their effectiveness in engaging and retaining new players. The hope is that new and even some existing fans may gleam something important about an industry that is developing at such an impressive pace, that many believe it may overtake the land-based sector which spawned it.
What are Short Feedback Loops
The concept of a short feedback loop emerged in the field of psychology, being primarily used to describe fast-paced dialogues between people who may have trouble expressing themselves. The goal is to foster good working relationships by encouraging co-workers to express themselves in a quick and clear manner. But a concept like SFLs will rarely remain tied to a specific field. The idea is so simple and yet effective, that businesses have begun adapting the concept in incredible ways.
This brings us to the meaning of short feedback loops in the context of slot games. Knowing their origin, we can pretty easily extrapolate that short feedback loops are slot features that help the games to react to player behaviors and actions quickly. The basic mechanism provides players with incentive to keep playing and reinforce their behavior. Online casinos ensure that player engagement remains strong by implementing short feedback loops.
Types of Feedback Loops
Understanding the basics of feedback loops is only the first step in truly grasping how they work. The next step is to get into the nitty gritty, and look through the multiple types of SFLs that online slot providers are utilizing to drive up engagement. It is only fair to start with the social side of things, as the psychological concept came about as a way to foster a positive work environment.
Social Feedback Loops: The modern iGaming industry can be described as a love-child of the gambling and gaming sectors. Many online casinos utilize tropes and traits of video games because of this. The process of gamification has spread beyond iGaming, but it is very clearly seen in online casinos. Video games utilize multiplayer mechanics to foster a sense of social interaction. Online slots do the same thing, but by injecting a degree of competition into the mix they can create social short feedback loops that incite players to keep coming back.
Skill Feedback Loops: The comparison to video games continues in how online slots utilize skill-based progress to create short feedback loops with their customers. Leaderboards and ranking lists are a very obvious example of this type of FL being used effectively. But it often takes leaderboards a while to update, which would exclude them from being considered SFLs. Instead, skill-based short feedback loops may manifest as encouragements within the game itself, urging the player to keep spinning just as they’ve shown signs of winning a big payout.
Reward Feedback Loops: Modern online slot games rarely lack a bonus round or some special feature that manifests as a mini-game or other such activity. What few understand is that even these bonus rounds all serve the greater purpose of inciting a short feedback loop to get players to keep spinning. The bonus round may result in players winning an extra spin for free, which will naturally encourage them to keep playing the game a bit longer. These reward-based short feedback loops have proven to be most effective in retaining player engagement.
The three types of feedback loops that we’ve brought up here are only scratching the surface. Modern gaming companies pour time and money into studying player behavior and psychology in order to drive up engagement more effectively. The tools and strategies being used in the gaming industry may not be one-to-one effective in iGaming. But online slot creators and providers have found incredible ways to utilize many of them regardless.
Positive and Negative Feedback Loops
Understanding how feedback loops work is key to adapting to them properly. Online slot providers have shown an impeccable ability to adapt to new technologies. It is why we have recently experienced a surge in blockchain-based gambling platforms that utilize cryptocurrency. But the ability of online casinos to adapt is also obvious in the way that they utilize both positive and negative feedback loops.
Positive feedback loops are mechanisms put into place to reward the player for their commitment to the game. In video games, a positive short feedback loop may be the level-up system that so many modern RPGs tend to utilize. Slot games have to get a little bit more creative. The most clear cut example of a positive SFL is the payout itself. But other examples include bonus round rewards and free spin promotions that get players invested in spinning the reel.
Negative feedback loops play an important role in game design. They are mechanisms put into place to ensure that gamers are always facing some sort of challenge. An example in video games would be the increasing difficulty that players have to endure as the game progresses. Negative SFLs are not as common in slot games. But they may still be used to great effect. An example would be getting close to reaching the jackpot, only to fall short in the last moment.
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