As some of you may know, Nicole Marie and I were in Vegas last week giving a talk at the CCCC’s conference along with Matt Barton and Samantha Blackmon (in absentia). You may not, however, know that I am an avid, avid gambler. I play poker at least once a week in a live game, I slot machine every chance I get (or every time I’m with my ma), and I used to be a huge fan of Jai Alai until it was unjustly (justly) banned all over.
While it has a different feel than traditional video gaming, along with a different history, intergamuality, player base, algorithmic mechanism, and so on, slot machine gaming is a kind of exaggerate type of sexism and racism that happens in other video games. Because the space does not lend itself to complex storylines, the theme of slot machines are overwhelmingly shallow and typically rely on reductions, misrepresentations, stereotypes, and exoticism.
Is it unfair of me to call out these slot machines for being so reductionist when their medium basically does not allow for depth? No. No it’s not unfair at all. Many slot machines exist that don’t rely on using the exploitation of the “Other” as a source of entertainment. So, I am going to go over the best and worst that I experienced in Vegas. First, the worst.
3. Graceful Lotus
As you can see from the picture, this game is based on the image of the graceful and silent Indian woman, complete with mysterious jewels and multiple gods. In the game itself, the imagery is fairly stereotypically Indian, using colorful jewels and such to catch the players’ attention.
2. Jumpin Jalapeno.
Jumpin’ Jalapeno plays off of the worst Mexican stereotypes that have been (I would hope) shamed out of most popular media. You can still see these terrible representations today (just see the recent sorority photo debacle), but these were much more prominent 20+ years ago, particularly in Westerns. Jumpin’ Jalapeno is pointless and harmful racism at its worst.
1. China Mystery
As if they had never heard of the dangers of “othering” or “exoticizing” cultures, the creators of China Mystery thought it would be a good idea to play off of inaccurate and offensive stereotypes of Chinese culture. Replete with images of dragons, gongs, and kimonos, China Mystery ensures that Westerners can exploit anyone’s cultural heritage to make a buck.
The Best:
3. Life of Luxury Progressive
This is my absolute favorite game and has been for a number of years. Now, as a community game, this does allow for some racist games to creep in once in awhile. The main progressive game, however, is full of images of fruit, cars, champagne, and other things associated with money. Seems fair enough.
2. Mega Bucks
The new Mega Bucks machines, at $3 a spin, are some of the biggest money eaters. I can say without a doubt that when you return to your hotel at 3am, you should just go to bed. You should not go down to the casino and throw your last $100 in a Mega Buck machine. However, with their classic slot machine themes (fruit and cards), Mega Bucks won’t curdle your stomach from inappropriateness, just from eating your money.
1. Wheel of Fortune
Despite being void of racist or sexist images, Wheel of Fortune is probably the most common type of slot machine in Vegas. It lends itself to community or single gaming, penny machines, high stakes slots, and bonus games or normal play. While I didn’t win much on the wheel of fortune, I still never wanted to vomit my beer in disgust while playing.
