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A Culture of Materialism
Perhaps the most obvious issue that slot machines bring up is materialism that pervades modern society. This is no news; countless other forms of gambling, casino games, lotteries, game shows, and others illustrate sufficiently well the almost pathological obsession with money people exhibit every day through popular media. Even so, slot machines bare this problem in a much starker light than anything else, as motivations for playing slots inevitably have materialistic roots and admit no other explanations. In fact, many other games have certain peripheral allures not directly related with the potential monetary reward. In case of many card games, people are drawn to them because they can improve their skills and learn new techniques; it is no surprise that there has been a sudden rise of “professional” card players and the likes of televised poker tournament in recent years. The same holds for many game shows, as well. There are always elements of skill, competition, and fun involved for the participants, albeit the primary goal may remain materialistic. In contrast, slot machines admit no such diversions. In fact, it is quite certain that despite the plethora of fraudulent guidebooks advertising the “secret” to “beating” the slot machines, slot machine playing will never have anything to do with skills or techniques. In addition, slot playing is not a social activity—something fun and harmless to do with friends on weekends. Gambling can and does cause social problems, but many gambling games such as blackjack, poker, or sports betting provide entertainment for many without the social harm. Importantly, slot machines cannot be regarded as a form of entertainment in the same way that these other games could be. It is not to say that playing slots is unentertaining or uninteresting—we have already established that they do provide an irresistible level of entertainment for some. However, it is important to note that the sensation of entertainment comes exclusively from the chance of monetary payoff, and that there is nothing inherently entertaining about the pulling of the lever, which is really the only action the player is required to take with most basic slot machines.
It is then obvious that slot machine playing is motivated, first and foremost, by materialistic concerns—more so than most other gambling activities. But how much of it is actual pursuit of the monetary reward, and how much of it is the pursuit of the sensation of a lucky win? Can we really say that slot machine playing is all about monetary gain, or is it more about the experience? This brings us back to the question that was raised earlier: is materialism part of innate human psychology, or is it conditioned by the capitalist society? If the former is the case, it makes much sense that slot machine players would be narrowly concerned about the money. However, if the latter is the case, that puts a completely different spin on the “materialism” that we found to be the driving force behind slots playing—a new spin that emphasizes not the monetary reward itself, but the sensation, the feeling, and the psychological and emotional experience associated with the win.
The Pursuit of Instant Gratification
We must then ask ourselves again: what is the real allure of slot machines? Many agree that it is the opportunity to win an enormous sum using small pocket change in a matter of seconds. It stands in direct contrast to other casino games like Blackjack, where large sums are guaranteed only from long plays, series of wins, or large initial bets. Slot machines take this “wait time” out of the picture, with instant gratification at the pull of the lever. Most importantly, for older machines this experience of instant reward can come as an incredible visual and aural feast, as the machine hits the jackpot and pours out an endless stream of coins. As one gambler reminisced, this experience is “part of the process, the reason why you gamble, and the reward. That's what keeps you putting money back in.” Like most other addiction problems, such as substance abuse or pornography, slot machine playing is highly motivated by this rare reward of emotional and psychological high. If you have ever had an experience of winning “big” on one of those gaming machines that churn out reward tickets or coins, you have also experienced this exact sensation, albeit on a smaller scale. The sensation of this experience is nothing short of mesmerizing according to avid gamblers and casual gamers alike. The sensation could be so overwhelming that such thoughts as what to do with the money or the prospect of economic well-being do not really take the center stage. At least based on subjective accounts, there then seems to be some support for the argument that the real allure of slot machines is more the experience of the win than the money itself.
To be precise, it could be argued that the experience is heightened because of the monetary award to begin with, but it is nonetheless important to make the distinction between materialism as the inner natural drive for economic gain and materialism as promoted by external devices like slot machines. Indeed, this distinction helps us explore our question about the nature of materialism much more in depth. Could we ever be sure that playing slot machines is motivated by purely materialistic reasons? Or should we be more careful in assessing how much external influence the machines themselves, the casino floor, and even the society in the larger context have on our gambling behavior? The analysis here certainly seems to suggest we should.
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Tracing Technology and its Effects on Slot Machines
The Psychology of the Slot Machine
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$pringfield: Gambling and Slot Machines in Popular Culture
Our Experience with an Online Slot Machine Simulator
The Slot Machine: Concluding Remarks
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