How Games Like Candy Crush Popularized Grid Slots
Today, it’s hard to own a smartphone without being aware of Candy Crush. The game has completely changed the mobile gaming marketplace, bringing grid slots to the forefront of a major market for everyone, not just gamers. In this article, we’ll explore how Candy Crush and other games like it have popularized grid slots so much that they’ve become the norm in many other industries as well.
What is a Grid Slot?
The first thing we need to identify is what a grid slot game is. The concept of grid slots is simple. The game is based around a single grid that’s split up into boxes. These boxes are filled with objects, and you then have to match those objects in a specific order to remove them and earn points.
Some grid slots are a bit more complex. This is the basic concept that they all revolve around. Candy Crush was the first mobile game to get this right. It has hundreds of levels for players to work through and seems to offer a completely free experience. However, players can pay for additional attempts at a level if they don’t want to wait for their attempts to refresh or even skip one.
In real-life grid slots, players must pay for every game. The difference is that in these grid slots, players stand to win money instead of pure progression. That’s why they’ve always been popular.
What Mobile Games did for Grid Slots
With Candy Crush gaining traction, developers started to release more grid slot titles to capitalize on the popularity of the genre. This is how these games revolutionized the industry.
With players willing to pay for nothing more than one more go on their phones, real-world grid slots had to change. Now, these grid slots can be found online. Sure, you might have to buy into them, but then that’s what people are used to doing on their phones now.
Going Beyond Grid Slots
Today, grid slots have changed from their original form into a concept used in all kinds of games. One of the most notable is Genshin Impact.
In Genshin Impact, players can spend an in-game currency called Wishes on the chance to purchase a new character and weapon. Players can earn these in-game, but they’ll have to earn hundreds if they want to collect them all.
While many players put the effort in and never spend a penny, most pay for another go on the grid slot. There’s no guarantee that they’ll earn a character they don’t have, but there’s always a chance. This concept is quite far removed from grid slots, but it’s still the same basic idea. The gameplay has drastically changed, but paying for one more go at the slot is still the driving force behind the spending.
Free-to-play games have popularized this idea, making it a core part of their experience. Whether players are paying for a season pass or a loot box, they’re still a part of the grid slot machine.
Conclusion
Grid slots may have originated as casino games that you couldn’t play outside of Vegas or your local bar. But now they’re at your fingertips. These games are the most popular and most profitable in the mobile gaming market. They also make up a significant portion of the console and PC market. They’re also the easiest online casino games to get into. Requiring no knowledge of card games to have a great time.
Looking back at the first smartphones to hit the market, it’s hard to imagine that something as simple as a matching game like Candy Crush could do so much to change the face of gaming.