The variety of online slot games is comprehensive, and it seems every month, more are added. Game providers compete for their share of the gaming dollar. When a game studio releases a successful slot game, other studios release games of a similar theme, look and style, hoping to grab market share. As a gaming industry veteran, I regularly identify a winning slot game and spot a pretender weeks later. Game providers compete to make the most amusing, exciting, and innovative slots but rarely stray from popular themes. In the following article, I examine some of the most common themes and suggest why they are so popular and frequently used.

Slot Games Based on TV Shows
There are so many slots based on famous TV shows. IGT is the creator of several of these titles. For example, you can find the animated and funny show Family Guy, the romantic comedy Sex and the City and the competitive quiz show Jeopardy. These are all famous shows that most of us have heard of or watched; the slots are very much alike in design and functionality. The Family Guy slot game has the same entertaining atmosphere as the show. Peter, Stewie, and the crew crack jokes throughout the game. There are three amusing bonus games with background music from the show.

Why are Slot Games Based on TV Shows Successful?
For many of us, TV shows have been a big part of our lives, associated with high entertainment. While some of us like to relax and laugh at a comedy show after a hard days work, others prefer watching and pitting their wits on a quiz show like Jeopardy. We all have our personal favourites, and when we find slots based on these, we like to try them out and experience the same entertainment.

Slot Games Based on Movies
Movie themes are very prominent among successful online gambling slot games. Games providers such as Yggdrasil, Netent, IGT, Nyx and Scientific Games have released successful movie-themed slots. One of the most successful recently has been slot games based around the Jurassic Park movie franchise. One of the earliest movies to transition to online gambling games was Ghostbusters, and around the same time, the Terminator slot games were available to film buffs who wanted to gamble online. So, if you wish to shoot down ghouls or bad guys with Bill Murrey or Arnold Schwarzenegger, there is a slot game for you. No matter which movie-themed slot game you choose to play, if you have watched the movie, you will recognise the music, the characters and the atmosphere.

Why are Slot Games Based on a Movie Successful?
If you have not watched the movie on which the slot is based, you will probably recognise it unless you have been kept in the dark cupboard under the stairs. Marketing a movie, especially a successful franchise movie, will also provide marketing to the slot game. A game studio that bases a slot game around a film must have licensed the rights to the movie content. The movie will almost certainly have a significant film star as the lead character, and the slot game will be allowed to use that characters likeness. Therefore, the slot game will draw fans of that actor. Another reason that slot games use movie franchises as themes is that the slot games get to launch other slot games as the studio launches another film in the franchise. Here are some examples of slot games based on movies: Jurassic Park, The Terminator, Star Wars, and Jumanji.

Slot Games Based on Music
NetEnt is a leading slot game producer, and the studio has released some of the most successful themed slots ever made. The top two are probably; Guns n Roses and Jimi Hendrix. In the Guns n Roses slot game, a player can choose the playlist that accompanies the gameplay. Other similar games include Motorhead, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Megadeath and Kiss.

Why are Slot Games Based on Music Successful?
Almost certainly, recognition plays the most significant part in the success of some of these titles. Even if the player is not a massive fan of the music, they will recognise the artist or band and, in doing so, will have trust in the title. The slot games draw fans of the music, and as they get more and more play, they will feature dominantly on the casino websites.

Slot Games based on Cartoons and Cartoon Characters
In recent years, some pretty big slot game titles have used cartoons and characters in their themes. For example, Playtech released the Pink Panther and Incredible Hunk slot games, and Yggdrasil released a slot game based on Disneys Beauty and the Beast. Another success has been The Simpsons, one of the biggest online slot games from the provider Scientific Games (subsidiary WMS). The player travels to different scenes in the game, such as casino night at the power plant and Moes Tavern. During gameplay, the characters will interact with the player by making comments.

Why are Slot Games Based on cartoons Successful?
As cartoons are graphics, game developers can integrate the characters into the gameplay. For example, it is easier to make a cartoon character comment on a players choice in-game than having an actor come to a studio and be filmed, then use video in the game. Also, as above, recognition is an essential factor. Most players will know the theme characters and cartoon shows and trust the game. A game such as The Simpsons is getting free marketing as the show is played on television and streaming globally every day.

In my next article, I look at other themes such as Historical Events, Fantasy, Egypt, the Sea, Fruits, characters, and more. nh ci five88 break down some gameplay and talk about game math.