We have seen pop culture permeate across the mainstream in recent years. Over the last decade, it suddenly became cool to be the “nerd” and love comic book characters (although not necessarily comic books themselves) and franchise like Star Wars at a granular level. This push of pop culture in the mainstream has been felt across most media, including in the world of online slots.
To give the gambling industry its dues, it was awake to the potential of pop culture long before the mainstream. For years, online casinos have been home to slot games based on comic book characters, movies, and rock bands. However, in recent years, the pop culture slot genre has exploded. Certainly, pop culture hits and online slots go hand in hand. In terms of casino games, pop culture could only really fit into the realm of slots. For example, roulette, blackjack, and poker do not lend themselves to any sort of branding. Online slots, on the other hand, are perfect because they are essentially video games.
You don’t have to look far on an online casino to find a slot game that has been heavily influenced by a pop culture hit. Indeed, online slots themed on comic book characters, movies, TV shows, and music, now dominate the scene. Gamers value being able to play a slot under the guise of something they are familiar with and that excites them.
As the mainstream audience has woken up to high concept TV and movies, the online slot world has evolved to reflect it. It just makes a lot of sense that if the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is big news for moviegoers, it would be big news for online slot gamers. Characters like Iron-Man from the MCU and Batman from the DC grab the attention of players and keep them engaged.
If we look at comic books specifically, slots have always had a close relationship with the genre. As mentioned, it could be argued online slots wholly embraced comic books long before every other form of entertainment did. Marvel and DC characters have been appearing on slots for over 15 years, certainly long before the MCU became an all-conquering media titan.
In 2020, comic book characters dominate online slots alongside other pop culture hits. In fact, just about every major character from the MCU and DC are on a slot, either individually (Batman, Iron Man) or as a team (X-Men, Avengers).
Even TV shows are now a rich vein for online casinos to tap, with hits such as Game of Thrones getting the slot treatment. Interestingly, even older hit shows like Sex and The City have received a slot.
Another area of the media world has had a long-standing relationship with slots. Music has played a big role in the online slot world for many years. Major rock bands with their bombast and big music have always lent themselves perfectly to the slot game. Huge names like AC/DC, Guns N Roses, and Aerosmith have served as inspiration for slot developers.
Pop culture has had a profound effect and has pushed the online slot industry to a new level. More people are now willing to engage with slot games, both for money and just for fun. Availability of games online has helped drive this growth, but its clear pop culture has played a pivotal role too.
