this is your brain on slot machines

here's the link:

http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2010/05/the_near_miss.php

In sum: Your brain's dopamine neurons constantly generate patterns based upon experience: if this, then that. While this neural software normally works great (it's an incredibly efficient form of learning) it gets reliably confused by random systems, like a slot machine. Your neurons are struggling to decipher the slot machine's patterns, to decode meaning where there is none. What your brain doesn't understand is that slot machines can't be solved. A slot machine isn't a puzzle to be mastered; it's a random number generator decorated with pretty colors and flashing lights. Ideally, your dopamine neurons ought to just surrender: the slot machine is a waste of mental energy and money. But this isn't what happens. Instead of getting bored by the haphazard payouts, your dopamine neurons become obsessed. Occasionally you get lucky, and this produces a rush of pleasurable dopamine precisely because the reward was so unexpected: unpredictable rewards are typically three to four times as exciting, (at least for our dopamine neurons), than rewards that can be predicted.

Your brain is rewarded with pleasurable dopamine not just when you win... but when you almost win. The near miss. Suppose a slot machine pays $5,000 if you hit 3 diamonds, but it pays nothing if you hit just 1 or 2 diamonds. Your brain will still release pleasurable dopamine if you hit 2 diamonds. Granted, it's not as pleasurable as winning, but it's still more pleasurable than getting zero diamonds. And after studying fMRI scans, researchers have determined that the near miss is even more rewarding for compulsive gambling addicts than for casual gamblers. The more severe a participant's gambling habit, the stronger their response to a near miss.

***

Interesting stuff, although I'm not sure that these theories apply equally to all forms of gambling. I agree that a near miss in roulette is meaningless. But sports bettors and live poker players can sometimes acquire valuable information from a near miss. Regardless, the slot machine is a more insidious dopamine delivery system than the roulette wheel because slots can be engineered to display a disproportionate number of near misses. Which helps explain why slots are so fun...

great post!

Quote: reno

Which helps explain why slots are so fun...

LOL, as I read the post, I could feel myself playing the machines. Perfect. Of course they're fun, that is why we need to be as aware as we can be, to understand why sometimes you have to think, "MUST... RESIST... WALK... AWAY....." Because it goes against the way you are wired to be.

very interesting article

Speaking of near misses, a lot of slot machine bonuses are also programmed to delay the concluding bonus symbol by several seconds sometimes -- I assume to enhance the effect. If it's 3 to start the bonus, 2 will hit but the 3rd will be late. Even if you're not playing but sitting nearby, it's hard not to start noticing the rhythm and whether it's picking up the final hit. It's like expecting the last note of a familiar song, and it's sometimes played or not, but it's still hard not to have the expectation in your head that it should be played.

I held off on posting to see what others had to say. I have to admit, I really don't find slot machines fun. It's probably because I've never won anything more than like $100, but they sort of bore me. I can play them for a few minutes, but once I hit a bonus round, I usually cash out.

I can sit and play video poker for a while as well as live poker, and table games.

I wonder what that says about me...

I work for a large online gaming company. Currently, I'm doing research into why some slots and video slots are far more popular than others. Essentially, I am interested in the psychology behind why players prefer certain slots.

We have a huge selection of hundreds of slots and video slots, yet the same games constantly rank at the top, whether measured by amount wagered, number of spins or number of players.

I understand that there are many possible factors, such as some games being marketed more than others, and positioning in the casino software.

Firstly, I have read that slots players tend to become 'loyal' to the first slot games that they play. Does anyone know if there has been any study to support this theory, and the reasoning for this?

Secondly, when looking at video slots, the most popular ones tend to either be 9 line video slots, or 243 line video slots. Both are essentially easier to play than 15+ lines, but I'm not convinced this is the reason for popularity. I think that it may be due to the fact that the less the number of lines, the higher the individual payouts tend to be in proportion to your bet. Could the higher payouts (even though less frequent than smaller payouts on less volatile 15+ line video slots) be linked to higher levels of dopamine being released?

Some other factors that I have looked at are:

- Look and feel (are the graphics easy on the eye, and is it attractive to most?)
- Games sounds and background music (is it irritating, or hypnotic?)
- The speed at which the reels spin (do they spin fast enough, or too slow that it becomes tedious?)
- The payout menu (is it easy to understand?)

There are so many factors, that I'm not sure if any one is more dominant than another.

If anyone has any insight into the psychology behind why players choose certain slots or video slots over others, then your feedback would be most welcomed.

Familiarity is very important. Just look at the popularity of the Wheel of Fortune slot machine. The "near miss" is extremely important to some people. The compulsive people remember the near miss for a long time. Many gamblers believe that the "near miss" was made illegal. There are certain aspects and certain types of programming that are illegal, but in general it is still legal.

You may want to get this article from the Journal of Mental Health Addiction to get a scholarly view of the effect of clustering algorithm and operant conditioning.

Game sounds are obviously important today. The big manufacturers are investing heavily in good speakers built into the chairs to give conditioning music. The penny machine with it's ability to make a loss sound like a win gives the illusion of lots of action.

I think a lot of slot players like the "game within the game" concept. For example the bonus spin on Wheel of Fortune or the extra rounds with graphics that you find on the multi-line penny slot machines. Also players like to feel like they have some control during those extra bonus rounds. Like picking which chest contains the most gold coins. It may not matter at all (probably doesn't) but it makes people feel like their choices are important.

I would say I fit in to this description.

I rarely play slots, and when I do its usually for not more than 20 or 30 mins before I get bored.

The first game I ever played for a continual period of time was IGT's Texas Tea. For whatever reason, I just found this game really fun....and I'm sure it was because I got the bonus round pretty frequently. Now when I'm at a casino, I'll look around for this game. If its not there, I probably won't play anything.

I can't stand the overally complicated games, which most of the video games/low denomination game are. The idea of playing 9+ lines I find rediculous and obnoxious. I can't tell what's a winner and what's not. I don't see how anyone can see that as fun. But the basic Texas Tea game, even though you played muliple lines, it was easy to spot the icons that would give you the bonus --- I think it was an oil rig. So I guess I fit into the description of one who is loyal to the first game they played.

Texas Tea is a classic. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the most popular video slot of all time.

Quote: teddys

Texas Tea is a classic. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the most popular video slot of all time.

I guess I like it because its the only machine I remember ever winning on...even though I'm under no illusion that this would continue.

Does anyone else find a large amount of the newer machines just too damn complicated? Besides texas tea, the only machines I will play are the real reels, max 3 payout lines.

I don't like a slot that continually pays less than your bet. I hate the thought of I won, but I lost. Another thing I like is when a machine gives good intermediate wins. Double bucks or Lion fish is a good example. You can get a lot of winners in the $25 to $150 range on a $2.25 bet.

Quote: rxwine

Speaking of near misses, a lot of slot machine bonuses are also programmed to delay the concluding bonus symbol by several seconds sometimes -- I assume to enhance the effect. If it's 3 to start the bonus, 2 will hit but the 3rd will be late. Even if you're not playing but sitting nearby, it's hard not to start noticing the rhythm and whether it's picking up the final hit. It's like expecting the last note of a familiar song, and it's sometimes played or not, but it's still hard not to have the expectation in your head that it should be played.

There was a machine I played a bunch at Aria in April - Airplane! - that did exactly what was described to me. When I gamble on slot machines, I sit down at the machine, determine the amount of money I want to run through that machine, then cash out whatever I have left. I tend to skip around between machines pretty often, partly because of my ADD. ;)

When I went to check out ARIA (cool atmosphere, btw), I saw the Airplane! slot and sat down at it as I'm a big fan of the movie. Stick in $20, deciding I was just going to play a little bit, and leave after I either lose my $20 or hit a bonus round. Well, I hit the bonus round, then hit it again, and was having fun (plus I had doubled my $20). Stick in two more $20s, and each time double it. Nice little win there.

We decided we wanted to gamble at Aria some more since we liked the vibe, and went back the next day. This machine requires 3 bonus symbols to activate the bonus round. When you get two, the last reel takes a few seconds longer, does an animation, and plays a special sound.

Most of the time, when I'm on a slot, I don't really believe in the concept of a "near miss" (I know such a thing isn't true). I'm generally just hoping for some positive variation, while expecting some losses. However, with my previous day's luck, I was conditioned to be excited and expect to hit the bonus round. This was definitely *way* more exciting than a normal slot machine, and even though the odds were nearly the same of any slot machine I had played, I stayed at that one machine a lot longer than any other. I ended up losing all the money I had made on the machine the previous day and then some, pretty quick, chasing bonus rounds - and had to take it pretty easily gambling-wise the rest of the day. It was a lot of fun, too, which is why I didn't stick to my normal routing of just playing slots a bit, managing my wins/losses, then finding something else to do for a while.

If it affected me like that (I'm usually pretty conservative with my bankroll - if I lose a little bit pretty quick, I generally leave pretty quick and take a break), I can't imagine what it would do to someone who isn't normally as conservative.

Seems like a great way to get people to play more and spend more money. I also wonder when the lines start blurring between attempting to provide better entertainment value, and purposefully using psychology to create addicts.

Quote:

I don't like a slot that continually pays less than your bet.

Hah. Don't we all!

Probably should put that on the casino feedback forms or a T-shirt (with a frowning 'Happy Face' symbol).

I know what you mean of course, but it sounds pretty funny in isolation.

Quote: McGrath

If anyone has any insight into the psychology behind why players choose certain slots or video slots over others, then your feedback would be most welcomed.

Well, I can tell you what I've liked and disliked about particular games. (these are all in-house casino games) And some or many reasons may not seem particularly rational.

Millionizer

Like: plays like an ordinary game, but then almost magically the front graphics get a overlay that sits above the game when you hit the bonus.

Like: well, you could theoretically, though remotely hit a million dollars

Dislike: that you never know the results of the bonus symbols you didn't pick. I dislike that about all games that do that though.

Dislike: never played one that wasn't a big money eater, but that seems to be true of most of the big progressive jackpot games, so it's usually a given

Wolf Run, Coyote etc. or all those variations (chickens goats, whatever else they come up with)

Like: Screens full of wild symbols. Yay.

Like: I do like the wolf howls. Maybe it's just seeing dogs. Who knows maybe this is for dog lovers.

That reminds me.

Forgeting the name of this one: has Hoodoo the cat.

Likes: It's blatently filled with evil symbols (forbidden) instead of dainty things and flowers.

The ladder bonus and the breaking mirrors is fun. Pretend breakage may just be fun (forbidden)

Various games with preset delivery of jackpots at certain levels

I may not even like these games, but if I'm lucky enough to find one about to pay off as it's very near its bonus payout, I'll play it. I like the ones that only allow single player. It's too easy to get burned playing with others for a soon to pay jackpot and it is very unenjoyable (unless you are the winner of course)

Lobster Mania and Texas Tea

Likes: Perhaps it's the real life visualization of acquiring something in the bonus rounds. (lobster catches and oil) rather than a meaningless nor-representational bonus. I'm guessing though.

Additional comment: Want to make a player really hate a game. Well, super tight is number one, I'd say. No matter how enjoyable a game is, it's no fun to feel like you're getting no play for your dollar.

To a lesser extent: dislikes= Don't put in volume controls. Don't put in speed controls.

Now that I think about the real life comment: I have to say, I do enjoy it when the Lobster fisherman actually pulls a giant lobster out of his trap (as big as he is sometimes) is probably as worthwhile or more than seeing the larger number.

Quote: rxwine

Forgeting the name of this one: has Hoodoo the cat.

Hexbreaker. My favorite slot machine is Lucky Lemmings. Actually, most of the Williams games are good. I also really like Slotski and Jade Elephant. I absolutely cannot bear the three-reel quarter slots, but I do enjoy playing the old Slingo Bonus sometimes.