When you think of online casinos and slot machines, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Yep, those flashy colours and symbols that practically jump off the screen. But hold up, there’s something else that’s super important and often gets forgotten: the sounds.
The tunes, jingles and sound effects of slot machines are specially made to grab your attention and make the whole gaming experience a fun ride. It’s all about dialling the entertainment up to the max, and in this post, as well as delving into the world of slots development, I’ll be sharing my all-time favourite sounding slots!
But first, a history lesson…
A brief history of slot machine sounds
Back in the day, slot machines were all about those clanky noises when the coins dropped and the reels spun. But as technology emerged in the 80s, things started to get more interesting. Suddenly, these machines weren’t just making one sound – they were busting out a whole symphony of sounds.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Like video game developers, slots developers began to research how sounds and music in online slot machines impacted the player experience, like a movie soundtrack contributes to a more immersive and satisfying experience.
The first online slots in the early 2000’s were essentially digital recreations of the most popular land-based slots, but by 2010, game studios were hiring sound engineers to contribute custom background music and sound effects to match the increasingly advanced video slot graphics.
A couple decades later, slot machine music and sound effects are now a crucial part of the game that adds extra excitement and drama. Don’t believe me? I’ve picked out a few examples of slots with impressive audio – listen in and see what you think!
Best sounding slots
I’m staying well clear of the vast array of Egyptian, Irish and Asian themed slots that use generic, stereotypical audio, and rely on their bonus features instead. Nope, for the top sounding slots, you have to dive into the back catalogues of certain game studios that make the look, feel and sound of their games a key priority.
Xibalba
Peter & Sons is one of my favourite game studios, because they care deeply about the artwork and the immersive experience. Play any of their slots – Barbarossa is a great example – and hear the quality for yourself. Their Xibalba slot is another great example, with gameplay much enhanced by the mystical sound of the Mayan jungle.
Money Train 4
Relax Gaming put astonishing effort into their animation and sounds, it comes out in every game they make. Money Train 4 was my 2023 Slot of the Year, just watch and listen to the game, the quality never fails to amaze me.
Wild Toro 2
ELK Studios are another provider that creates incredible game art and audio to match. Games like Pirots 2 are a joy to play, but when it comes to sound effects, my favourite ELK slot is Wild Toro 2, a gunslinging Latin soundtrack full of tension and drama.
The psychology of slot machine sounds
The sounds we hear when we play games of any time, whether that’s a slot or a mobile app, have a significant impact on our experience of the game, both what sound we hear and when we hear it.
For example, if you’re playing a Star Wars slot, a Jurassic Park-themed slot or an Egyptian slot, you’ll also expect matching sound effects and iconic music to accompany the theme. If these audio effects are missing, the slots appear significantly flatter, less immersive and not nearly as exciting as they are with the right sounds.
Games like Raging Rex 3 from Play’n GO take you deep into the dino jungle, but without the sounds there’s no chance that Rex rocks half as much.
In gaming and increasingly in any app development, positive reinforcement is the fusion of successful moments with a sound, perhaps a sound effect or a melody. Then there’s immersion, the addition of soundtracks, often dramatic tracks that match the theme or narrative on screen, to build a fuller experience of and connection the game.
For modern themed slots where you take on a role and become part of a story, sound effects are crucial. They not only give us the feeling of being part of the story or world, but also connect us emotionally to the action.
Play Temple Tumble 2 or any Game of Thrones slot and you’ll see what I mean.
Would you ever play slots on mute?
Every slot and casino game has the option to mute the sounds, but my sense from speaking to online gamers for over 10 years is that almost no one actually mutes casino game audio. Why? The sound effects are an integral part of the gaming experience, and without them it’s a much less satisfying experience. Try it yourself next time you play.
In all my years playing, testing and writing about online casino games, I can remember only a handful of games that I just instantly had to hit the mute button, and in every case it was the poor choice of background music to blame. I must confess that Irish slots with that old-style of jingle that plays every time the reels spin – you’ll hear that in most land-based casinos, and it drives me nuts – is the main slot sound I try to avoid.
But as long as game providers keep sounds at the appropriate level (to quote Garth from Wayne’s World 2) and avoid tracks that are irritating to the majority of users, I’m unlikely to kill the audio.
That said, I can totally see that some players may get distracted or have their gameplay disrupted by sounds, or may just prefer to listen to music, or second-screen some sport or TV, so the mute button could come in handy. I have come across a few games with more granular sound options that simply On/Off, where you can keep sound effects but nix the backing track, so that may be one way to improve your experience if you like a slot for many reasons – just not the music.
Summary
As you can see from the slots I picked out, sound effects in slot machines are much more than just background noise. They play a central role in the gaming experience, they’re a big influence on our enjoyment levels, certainly in my personal experience at least.
Every year we see the production values and innovation around online slots take a fresh leap forward, and that goes for audio too. Sound is no longer an afterthought, and minor consideration, and like visual artists have always been, good sound artists are in greater demand.
