Slot machines are some of the most beloved casino games around. They are known for the different symbols that fill the reels depending on the specific slot you’re playing.
All slot game symbols are unique to their games and have become iconic in the casino game landscape.
They are involved in some of the best gaming experiences, including games like Big Bass Splash and Fishin Frenzy Even Bigger Catch.
So, let’s take a look into the history of slot machine symbols within some of your favourite land-based and online casino sites…
The early days
Slot game symbols have always existed in some form. The origins of them can be traced back to the 19th century when the first mechanical slot machines were created.
The earliest symbols that existed on these Slots were playing card suits – hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs.
Using card symbols within slot games was practical, as they’re easy to recognise and understand.
Another heavily featured symbol was the liberty bell, which gave one of the earliest slot machines its name – the ‘Liberty Bell’ of course!
This paid homage to the creator of this slot – Charles August Fey – and became a classic symbol within the slot game landscape.
20th-century fruit symbols
As time moved on, various gaming restrictions were put into place, so slot machines had to offer non-monetary prizes like fruit-flavoured chewing gum.
To match these rewards, slot games featured various fruit symbols. Each fruit, like a cherry, would represent a different gum flavour. Successful gamers would receive gum with the corresponding fruit flavour as their prize.
These classic fruit symbols became so ingrained in the slot game landscape that they are still known as fruit machines to this day.Â
It’s time for themes
Slots only evolved more from the fruit machine era, and so did the symbols on the reels.
As technology also evolved, it gave rise to video Slots, which have a lot more variety than traditional Slots in many aspects, like animations and themes.
With this, game developers introduced a variety of themed symbols to match the particular themed game, which levelled up players’ gaming experience.
They could now play alongside a variety of symbols and themes, including mythology, ancient civilizations and symbols from classic movies and TV shows.
Other symbols
In addition to these standard symbols, modern slot machines introduced some special symbols that can play important roles within gameplay.
However, it’s important to remember that due to the chance-based nature of Slots, these additional symbols cannot guarantee you success.
Now let’s take a look at a few of these symbols:
These symbols can often trigger extra features, like a free spin round, when a certain number of these scatters appear on the reels. This could potentially lead to some great payouts.
Wild symbols act as substitutes for standard symbols, to create matching combinations. They come in various forms, which include expanding wilds and stacked wilds.
There are different types of multipliers, but base game multipliers can trigger extra rounds. They often multiply the successful amount on a payline – you could see a two times multiplier, five times multiplier or even more!
With a brief look into the history of slot symbols, what’s your favourite symbol to see along the reels?
This story originally appeared on Upscalelivingmag
