Illustrating the Internet’s Full Potential with Slots
Existing in the mainstream for just over 20 years, the internet has undergone massive evolution to reach this point. From niche interest for dedicated tech-heads, online engagement is now ubiquitous in the developed world. What used to be painfully slow dial-up connections has now reached a point where fiber is becoming standard. Data delivery is thousands of times faster than it was just decades ago.
In developing software for the internet, many different programs and services take full advantage of what new speeds and availability have to offer. There are a few like slot games, however, that go a step further. These are titles that can demonstrate a hypothetically perfect level of internet access, at least from a certain point of view. It might seem an odd designation, but bear with us, this idea makes more sense than it might at first seem.
The Big Casinos Today
Modern online casinos have long since reached a point where they’re taken seriously as an industry, offering robust services with a well-rounded selection of titles. For example, anyone who wants to play slots at Betfair Casino has access to hundreds of individual titles, covering a broad range of themes and ideas. From games like Age of the Gods which lean into mythology to titles such as Deal or No Deal which tie into existing properties, lack of choice is never going to be an issue. Fulfilling potential, however, is not just found in what games are on offer, but in how they play.
What Qualifies as Perfection
When we say perfection, we’re talking about the internet achieving a level where its inherent weaknesses and limitations are effectively eliminated. In real terms, this means reaching a point where waiting for loading is gone, and where delays from latency no longer play a factor. These are significant concerns in practically all systems, from video streaming to online gaming, but in online casinos, there are situations where these challenges are effectively defeated.
To illustrate this point, we need to take a closer look at how the limitations of the internet manifest in other systems. In video streaming services such as Hulu and YouTube, this problem has traditionally been found in the realm of bandwidth, as explored by Android Authority. Streaming 4K movies, especially if they’re available in 60FPS, has long led to issues like quality drops and buffering. This is because our connections often can’t keep up with bandwidth requirements, especially when speeds fluctuate, which results in a less than optimal viewing experience.
Playing online video games comes with a different problem related to latency. Latency refers to the time it takes a signal to perform a round-trip, and in online video games, this latency can be a killer. In practical terms, playing online games with a latency over 100ms is considered annoying, and over 200ms is considered largely unplayable. Unfortunately, the size of the earth combined with the speed of light being too slow means this is always going to be a problem over long distances, so gaming communities are often sectioned by geographical region.
Online casino games like slots, by having different requirements and concerns, face no problems with these issues when played over modern connections. Bandwidth only comes into play for loading, and given the slots usually come in at under 10 megabytes, loading is essentially instant as Download Time shows. On the other hand, latency is also no issue in slot games because there’s no need for split-second timing. Even if playing on a site located on the other side of the world, no appreciable delay will occur in casino games, again eliminating a potential problem.
Combined, the lack of issues from bandwidth and latency demonstrates a hypothetical perfect situation, where the limitations of the internet no longer play a part. This is the standard that all online services wish to reach, but few have yet achieved this goal. In many cases, physical realities might make every service reaching this level impossible, but it’s still a target to which many strive. That said, as connections get faster and technologies continue to improve, we expect to see many others reach this ideal, but let’s not forget those who reached the final destination first.
