Hallmarks of a Well-Executed Game: The Design Principles to Look for in iGaming

Having a great idea for the game is just the start – a lot of different aspects of game design have to be coordinated and many different challenges solved before the finished product can be presented to the public.

It’s not enough for a game to be interesting, as it also needs to be playable, engaging for long-term players, and convenient to use on a variety of hardware platforms. The best game studios know how to balance all of these requirements and deliver well-rounded iGaming products, but there is also a fair share of games out there that fall short of this ideal.

Let’s look into specific game design principles that can reveal whether an online game has been developed according to best industry practices.

Technical Stability

Any software application that experiences glitches or bugs is destined to fail in the market. That’s even more so in the unforgiving iGaming marketplace where every game has dozens of competitors with a similar look and feel. Technical stability of the final version is a sign that the development team took its time to test the game and solve any recurring issues that popped up in this phase.

Games that were released before they were completely finished are usually not worth playing, even if they have interesting mechanics and jaw-dropping graphics. Some games work well on PC, but perform poorly on handheld devices which can be very frustrating for mobile-first players.

Coherent Themes and Storylines

Great games manage to connect the background story with the main objectives and stay logical from beginning to end. The point of online casino games may be to chase a big payout, but it’s much easier to get in the flow of the game when the storylines make sense.

Some of the best slots to play online have colorful themes that revolve around a single fanciful concept, i.e. pirate adventures or fantasy monsters. You probably want to stay away from games that suddenly introduce ill-matched characters or sequences that have little to do with the player’s previous actions. This shows that the developers didn’t know what they are aiming for, and usually results in suboptimal player experience.

Clear and Simple Commands

Nobody wants to learn an intricate command system just to take a few spins of a roulette wheel or play a round of poker. This type of games requires full attention on the outcomes, so players should be able to control their in-game actions intuitively and without thinking about it.

Games with steep learning curves and complex commands tend to discourage participation from casual players, who are essential for maintaining a large user base and keeping the game in the market. It can be tricky to enable players with a wide scope of moves within the game without overwhelming them with technicalities, but smart game designers are able to solve this problem in elegant ways.

Dynamic Visuals that Don’t Distract from Gameplay

Online casino games are often very lively and colorful, which ads to their appeal and keeps the players entertained. There is a limit to the utility of dynamic visuals, as they divert the player’s attention from the game if they are too dominant.

Modern games limit the use of animations and keep intense motion within the scope of gameplay, focusing more on the practical side of visual communications to make the game more playable. Make no mistake, beautifully designed games with amazing graphics are still popular, but great style can’t be an excuse for a chaotic interface.

If you notice that a game puts too much weight into visual glitz, it may be a sign that emphasis was on the wrong things.

Fair Odds to Win

Each casino game has built-in probabilities that determine how often a winning hand will be dealt. This ratio is usually expressed through a statistical parameter called Return to Player percentage or RTP%, Basically, this is the share of all funds received by the casino that are paid back to players collectively, but not a guarantee that any individual player will win as frequently.

Top shelf games tend to have RTP above 90%, with some card games reaching as high as 98%. You should always check this value before you decide to risk your money on a new game – it’s only logical to choose titles that give you the best odds to win.

Unique Features that Encourage Strategic Play

It’s very common in the iGaming industry for multiple software developers to release versions of the same game – there are literally dozens of poker or blackjack games on gambling sites. Presence of extra features is often the main differentiating factor and smart players check for those when they are selecting their favorite games.

When they are implemented the right way, such features can refresh a well-known genre and add a whole new strategic layer to it. It may be more challenging to become proficient with complex games that require analytic thinking, but in the long run you will have more opportunities to showcase your skills and that might give you the edge over the opponents.