Are video slots related to video games?

Two things that share very similar names are video slots and video games, and as both are, technically speaking, forms of games it can be tempting to think that they are related, however this is where the similarities end for now. The modern video game market is extraordinarily huge these days, with leading consoles such as Xbox and Playstation making it possible for people to play a huge array of different games all at the tips of their fingers.

And here’s the thing: modern video games are often scarily good, exhibiting graphics that are so close to the real world that it can sometimes be difficult to tell. In this regard video slots are still somewhat lacking, with there only being a few developers like Blueprint Gaming or NetEnt that seem to be truly committed to trying to deliver the same level of graphics on their games. Regardless, let’s take a look at something many people seem to be asking at the moment: are video slots related to video games?

Where do video slots get their name?

So then, if video slots aren’t the same as video games you might be wondering where they got their name from. Well, video slots get their name from the fact that they are slots that can be played via video, which is the same for video games at root, however the historical and technological context is a lot different.

Video slots were made possible in the 1980s by the emergence of the RNG – Random Number Generator – something that meant that the digital reels could still be spun completely randomly as they would be on a classic slot machine. This technology is also crucial to how video games work, and we guess that you could argue that both video slots and video games stem from the same root in the end.

The similarities between video slots and video games

The main similarity between video slots and video games is the fact that both of these things use video screens to show the action taking place. For this reason they also use a similar approach to software programming, although most modern video games leave video slots in the dust when it comes to this point, as they are many many many times more complex and difficult to program.
Older video games definitely had a lot more similarities with video slots as the graphics were more similar and so was the overall gameplay. In the 21st century video games have left video slots behind when it comes to this, however.

The differences between video slots and video games

There are many differences between video slots and video games, but the main one is simply the fact that video slots are gambling games, and video games are not. This means that there are some crucial differences in the way that these games are played. During video games it is common to be able to play against somebody else or as part of a storyline, this doesn’t happen in video slots.