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Merkur gaming show gauselmann power
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Video reeling them in Alex Lee asked a number of companies the following question – “Do you use video reels purely because this is a modern trend and it’s cheaper than mechanical reels or do you see yourselves as a pioneer in this field? Are video reels simply Technology for technology’s sake or do your poker games offer players something new and different? What do you have in store for the future, especially as serial games featuring multiple reels on one screen seem to have taken the ‘reel genre’ as far as it can go?” Here are some of the best responses.. Craig Beer, Empire Games
Obviously we as an industry have seen an explosion of video based product since the introduction of section 16/21 machines (in the UK) during the last 18/24 months. I would say that the industry trend has been responsible for Empire Games developing this type of product. I would disagree that the video based reel products are cheaper than the traditional reel based products as is reflected in the price of the products.  Phil Thomas, Ace Coin Entertainments I believe that video gaming is being successful mainly due to the flexibility of presentation that it affords. Video gaming by way of reel simulation goes back to the 1980s and although a few games were successful at that time, the higher costs were probably seen as being prohibitive in terms of sales potential especially from the sectors that, due to rental pressures, were very cost conscious. Video is succeeding in the sectors where rental pressures are less prevalent, for example arcades, bingo clubs and casinos – video games are performing extremely well in these locations and I honestly do not see a realistic return to physical reel machines as they do not have the flexibility of video platform, in particular in terms of multi-game capability. I think that the Dream Play platform is a good example of just what can be achieved for the operator and the player in terms of flexibility – as well as the three AWP poker games , Dream Play contains a compendium of three Section 16/21 games in the library and the operator can switch easily between the game categories or add more games, when he chooses, without moving the machine. Legislation may change but the machine is already future proofed for what we already know to be the likely operational changes due in 2007. The days of constant and costly machine installations and transportation in order to change games are rapidly disappearing. With thanks to Phil Thomas and all at Ace Coin Entertainment Hanna Proskumya, Extrema At the moment we use both video reels and mechanical reels. We have created Waikiki Beach – mechanical gambling machine. I believe that in our case usage of video reels is not a question of spending less money on development and manufacture than on mechanical ones – it is more a question of popularity. Mechanical reels are not popular in our country (Ukraine ) like they were not long ago. This is because of a shift in the mindset of Ukrainian players. They have stopped treating video reels with mistrust, as now many of them have computers at home. Besides video slots are more attractive, more profitable and they offer more opportunities to a poker player. 
Richard Barr, Astra Astra Games is a pioneer of video AWPs in the UK gaming industry, introducing the groundbreaking 42ins plasma multiplayer Party Games to the UK market at ATEI 2003, and launching the genre defining Section 16/21 game Party Games Slotto at Preview 2004. this proactive approach to the utilization of technology has a myriad of benefits to player, operator and manufacturer.
The inventiveness of Astra’s development team has profited greatly from the game enhancements the medium of video offers, taking classic game features and characteristics and spicing them up by way of interactive features and entertaining graphics. An excellent example of this is the facility to change awards linearly with stake, best seen on a dual screen cabinet such Astra’s Skyline where the top screen displays the new awards fort the player. Serial gaming is currently the buzzword resting on the lips of the industry, but Astra have approached the genre from a different perspective. Billionaire, Astra’s new serial game, is a dynamic product on which the player can commit to playing a series of up to four games in one button press, the results of which are shown on four sets of three reels on screen. Alan Rogers, director of sales, describes the game: “Bullionaire embraces the ‘sequential’ principal but also retains the simplicity and entertainment that makes Astra’s Section 34 AWP games so appealing. Four sets of reels are visually very exciting in play, but they’re also easy to follow as the screen is less crowded and the player can see the action of each game. This is an excellent example of the benefits video can bring.”  Rogers added: “Video is the future of gaming and its possibilities have not been fully exhausted. Technology is a driver that creates ideas, each new discovery spurring a multitude of new thoughts. Astra will endeavor to push the boundaries and create new games.” With thanks to Richard Barr and all at Astra Robert Taylor, Gamesoft Firstly, using video is not cheaper for manufacturers than using mechanical reels, although they do offer the operator cheaper conversion and operating costs. Our use of them has increased as players who traditionally ‘didn’t trust a computer’ have increasingly accepted them. We use them primarily because they allow tremendous opportunities to show features and offer original styles of games in new and innovative ways. They also give operators the ability to quickly and inexpensively change games. Video reels can offer something genuinely different. There is no way our ‘cascading’ reels as used on our firecracker and Firestorm games could be manufactured as a traditional reel. It allows many new feature options that we know players enjoy.
Tim Wittenbecher, Bally Wulff Video reels are not cheaper then mechanical reels. We need a PC to simulate and control them and a TFT to display them, which in our case costs much more than a set of mechanical reels. There have been video reels in gaming machines for many years, while Bally was still using mechanical reels only. Therefore we cannot call ourselves pioneers. On the other hand video was forbidden in most parts of Spain in the past and now that they are legal again, we were the first company to show new machines including video reels. We chose a concept that combines mechanical reels in the lower game and 3D video animation in the upper game. We chose a high resolution graphic card, a powerful PC and a 3D design which makes the complete video reel set extremely realistic. Compared to all the other video concepts shown in Spain’s last exhibition, we are pioneers, because our concepts is unique and the quality. Most games were video only –not combined with mechanical reels. 
Kevin Weir, Electrocoin Electrocoin’s position on this subject is to use technology to offer the player the best experience. Different markets and as a result, different legislation allows for companies to structure games using a variety of styles. Susanne wesemann, Merkur Gaming
With thanks to Susanne Wesemann and all at merkur poker gaming Gianfranco Scordato, Magic Dreams Magic Dreams has developed video reels games since 1991, the year that saw our company entering the market as a slot manufacturer. Other companies with an already strong and established mechanical reels reputation will have kept manufacturing mechanical reels but for us entering the business at that time, video reels has been a clear choice with no doubts. We do strongly believe that video reels games can add extra value to games by enhancing features and themes. They cannot be dubbed ‘the next big thing’ because they are already a contemporary success, particularly in terms of the overall European market and the impact VLTs are about to have.  Ron Vinson, Ainsworth Both our Celebrity cabinet and 32ins TFT Ambassador cabinet use video reels. American Dream, housed in the Celebrity cabinet, is already out. Free Game Fever for the Ambassador is just about ready to go to market. Video reels are definitely the future. They allow players to enjoy secondary features can come to the fore with video reels. Admittedly the UK market is in a transitional period but video reel games put the player in more control of whether he wants to continue to delve further or just walk away with what he’s got. Carlos J Tessmar, GiGames I wouldn’t really define the video reels like a modern trend that is cheaper than classical reels. I prefer to see it like an evolution towards a new way of understanding the gaming world. For example, many years ago in order to communicate with other cities or countries we had to write letter, then the new technologies allowed us to send letters and documents via fax and now we are able through email to send the content of a book within a few seconds to the other side of the world. This new way of communication is definitely not a modern trend. Of course, if we use a cheap wooden structure for the cabinet, a VGA screen with a main board made ‘elsewhere,’ it’s obvious we are speaking of a cheap and low quality product with no guarantee for the buyer.
With thanks to Carlos J Tessmar and all at GiGames  |
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