Over the years, one of the major themes that has arisen in online casino games is music, incorporating motifs from a wide range of different musical genres for a unique gaming experience. So, let’s take a look at some of the musical themes out there, and why the auditory experience is so important.

Music themes

As we’ve said, there is a wide range of musical themed online casino games out there. Let’s take the games on offer at Paddy Power online casino gambling, for instance, which has a broad range of different musical themed games inspired by songs, artists, and even musical eras. For example, Wanted Dead or a Wild opts for a wild west visual theme, but draws upon the country-rock duality of the Bon Jovi hit Wanted Dead or Alive to give the gameplay an extra edge. Chances are you hear the song play in your head when you look at the image below!

Source: Pixabay

Punk Rocker is another fan favourite, transporting players back to 1970s London and the birth of punk, complete with head-banging punk rock soundtrack. Similarly, Ancient Disco immerses players into the hype that was the disco decade, with a historical twist, with neon glowing lights all around.

That said, the link to musical inspirations doesn’t have to be quite so explicit, as shown by the Hotline franchise. These games are for all intents and purposes set in 80s Miami – however, the thematics do play off the link to the viral hit Hotline Bling, with graphics and musical styling that riff off artists like Drake and The Weeknd.

Importance of sound in online casino games

Whether the online slot game is music themed or not, the conscious use of sound in these games is no less important. This is because sound design is an essential element at making the digital environments of the games more immersive and believable, creating depth and breadth that really help your brain to get a feel for the space. More technically, this is due to a psychological effect that sound has on the brain.

Neuroscience News reports that auditory cues not only help our brains to process visual elements faster, but can also change the way we perceive them entirely. Take a bird, for example – if you simultaneously see a bird and hear the bird tweeting, this helps your brain recognise that it is indeed a bird. However, if you see a bird and hear the sound of another animal, this can confuse your brain to the point that you need to really focus to work out what you are actually looking at.

Armed with the science behind this phenomena, it is clear that sound is essential for making the games more authentic and immersive. For example, in Peggy Sweets, the soundtrack and sound effects help us to recognise that it is set in a 50s American diner, the sound allowing for quicker immersion into both the setting and the era. Similarly, in Bigger Bass Bonanza, the sounds of seagulls crying, the waves lapping, and the water bubbling helps to transport players to the beach front, and make the setting believable. After all, just seeing the bubbles and waves begins to conjure the sounds in our minds.

Source: Pixabay

Overall, sound design is extremely important for online casino games – whether the games are music themed, or not. However, the conscious use of musical motifs has the opportunity to give a new interpretation to online casino games, hinting towards songs, eras, and artists in pop culture.