Video slots take the classic slot machine to the next level. While the basic principle of reels, lines and paylines stays the same, symbols and background bring the wildest ideas and themes to life. The technology of the Internet along with connection speed and volume have improved massively over the last years. This makes it possible to use high-quality graphics, video sequences and audio in slot games. Some developers are pushing these new possibilities to the maximum. Games have become productions involving special effects and storylines as much as gambling maths.

There are many casinos around that feature several hundred video slots. Various kinds exist, from simple games stacked with 3D graphics to very sophisticated and fully animated ones. Have a look at our video slots reviews for more detail.

Today the development of a new game involves dozens of people. Next to the scientists dealing with odds and paylines of a game there are technicians and programmers who take care of the details. But more and more there's an artistic side to slot game development as well. Visual designers, score composers and similar professionals have a big part in every new product as technology broadens the range of possibilities developers can work with.

A modern video slot often features symbols that have actually been developed into characters more than anything else. They move about and react independently and are no longer just a collection of static pics on a reel. The reel itself is all but gone, usually replaced by the symbols and avatars floating before an also very fancily made background. Space themes are as common as themes related to magic; Flash has made it possible to include lots of special effects.

The old classics are revived as well, and a lot of variations on the basic theme of the fruit slots float about the Internet. New features are added to game design as well, like cascading symbols that couldn't have been realized with a mechanically working actual machine. There's no end in sight, developments will no doubt find ever higher and more interesting steps to climb.