There are lots of crossovers between video game design and casino game design, and designers often use elements of the other to influence the design in their vertical. One of the most obvious examples is the use of gamification style progress bars that have proven to be very successful in casino customer retention.
Both video games and casino games also use feedback loops, including visual and audio feedback through animations and effects. Reward systems are also prominent features across both, with wins in casino games and progression through levels and unlocking new areas in video games.
An area that might be overlooked is information design, which is a key strength on regulated casino platforms. Casino operators cannot afford to make any mistakes when it comes to information design, as licensing requirements include providing users with clear information, particularly regarding terms and conditions.
Casino platforms therefore place high priority on their information design and video game designers can tap into the key principles applied to improve their own information design.
These are some of the information design principles that can be transferred from casino games to video games:
Making Sure the Most Important Information is Clearly Visible
On casino interfaces, information is usually split into primary and secondary information, with the primary information within slots games, for example, being the reels, stake, jackpot and available actions. The secondary information, such as game rules, which users may only need to view once, might be provided in a link further down on the page.
Casino game designers have a very limited amount of space to work with, so getting the most important information in the prime visibility space requires excellent design techniques. The majority of casino games are also played using mobile devices, so this is even more challenging.
While video game designers usually have the advantage of players using larger screens, they do not want to be distracted by unnecessary information whenever they play. Video game designers have to keep engagement levels high, so there is still a large incentive to apply information hierarchies in a similar way to casino games.
You can see on the slots games at the tikal casino, for example, that only a small amount of information is displayed during gameplay, with many games using small icons or buttons that can be clicked on to find out further information. This same design style is often used across video game design to prevent overloading information which can frustrate players who just want to get on with playing the game rather than reading screens of information.
Clear Communication of Outcomes
Another area that casino game design leads the way in is how well they communicate outcomes, which again is driven by compliance priorities. The distinct transitions between events such as placing a stake, being presented with the outcome and seeing what the outcome means are clearly communicated through visuals and sounds.
Positive and negative outcomes are communicated in clearly different ways and this can also be applied in video games. For example, if a car is damaged in a race, players might hear sounds indicating a hit, teh controller may vibrate and there will usually be a damage bar showing how much damage has occurred.
Consistency of Visual Language
Casino games try to use the same visual language consistently through games and across the interface. These include positioning of buttons and repeated symbols that players are familiar with, so they know where to obtain the key information that they need.
In casino games, players need to understand the state of play as quickly as possible, they do not have time to take in a large volume of visual language, so consistency across symbol and button design reduces the need for players to keep processing information.
This same principle works well across video game design, allowing players to spend more time enjoying playing rather than processing new information.
Meaningful Use of Numbers
Casino games are heavily designed to use numbers and symbols instead of text, saving the user time in processing information. Any information that can be displayed as a number is useful for a player, such as the numerical card total in blackjack.
Video game designers can also use numbers within games to convey information quickly, such as in health bars and progress meters, cutting down text descriptions. Colors also help convey additional meaning, such as using red on a health bar so that the player quickly has information about their health status.
There are lots of ways that video game designers can use the information design principles from casino game design, as the verticals are very similar and casinos tend to focus more on information design due to regulatory requirements.
