Casino slot games offer us a chance to enter a fantasy world where our favourite characters help us to try to win some money. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see that many games are based on strong male characters who we can identify with.
Gladiators and Emperors
The Roman Empire is well represented in slots, with centurions and emperors among the characters you’re going to come across often. If you’ve ever travelled to the Italian capital, you’ll know that the Colosseum and other historic buildings are still capable of invoking this period. Fans of the 2000 movie Gladiator starring Russell Crowe will find some great options for entering the arena and seeing some of the most memorable characters as symbols. These games let us see how developers make the most important characters, turning them into special symbols, as you’ll often see that the main gladiator is a wild or bonus icon.
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Gladiators Go Wild and Gladiator Legends are among the slots that stand out, although it’s worth pointing out that some of the games in this genre are licensed and can use images from the movie, while others can only use generic images of gladiators. The thrill of gladiatorial fights means that these slots should continue to be popular. With Gladiator 2 set to be released at the end of 2024, it seems likely that these characters will remain at the top of popular culture in the near future.
As the online gambling industry grows, more diverse casino games from different walks of life are certain to appear. Current favourites like Lobster Bob’s Seafood, Win It, Wild Tiger, and Bonanza Billion let us see some of the varied themes used. Many slots are linked to themes that are popular right now, while others are based on classic images that appeal to players even if they aren’t related to new movies and TV shows.
Zeus and Other Greek Gods
You might not think that you’re going to learn a lot about Greek mythology when playing casino slots. Yet, this remains one of the most popular themes that lets you delve into a world of magic and mystery. Gates of Olympus by Pragmatic Play is one of the leading games with this theme. While the name of the main God featured isn’t mentioned anywhere, it seems likely to be Zeus, who rules atop Mount Olympus as the King of Gods.
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The enduring popularity of Zeus and other Greek Gods in slots is particularly surprising since these characters aren’t regularly seen in popular culture just now. This may change in 2024, as Jeff Goldblum is set to play Zeus in the Netflix show Kaos. There are also rumours of Blood and Ashes being released as an Alexander the Great movie, although it was originally planned as part of the 300 movie series. This could introduce players to more characters from Greek history.
Elvis (But Not Elvis)
Elvis Presley is one of the men we most associate with casinos, largely thanks to his seven-year Las Vegas residency and the fact you can still visit many places in the city associated with the singer. The Little Church of the West is one of the most iconic spots, as it was featured in the 1964 Elvis movie Viva Las Vegas. This movie’s theme song became an anthem for Vegas and it’s easy to find links to the singer around the city.
Given his links to the gambling capital of the world, it’s surprising that there aren’t more slots showing his face. This is perhaps due to copyrighting issues, with the Authentic Brands Group advising Las Vegas businesses and chapels in 2022 not to use his name. This has led to an interesting situation where slots like Aloha King Elvis and Elvis Frog in Vegas are clearly inspired by Presley but don’t show his image anywhere.
Adventurers and Treasurer Seekers Like Indiana Jones
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The release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023 brought this famous franchise to a close, with artificial intelligence being used to digitally de-age Harrison Ford in the title role. While the globe-trotting history professor has been featured on some classic land-based slots, he’s not as widely seen in online slots as you might expect. However, Indy has still inspired a genre of games based on adventurers seeking treasures in temples and pyramids.
Book of Dead and Book of Kemet are a couple of examples of this genre, with a main character who instantly brings Jones to mind. The use of an adventurous hero of this type ensures that the developers can create an action-packed game filled with valuable pieces of treasure and dramatic settings that bring the action to life across the reels.
Male characters like those we’ve looked at here should continue as a mainstay of the online slots industry. Developers will continue to look for interesting new men to lead their games, but the appeal of these characters is so strong that they’re unlikely to disappear any time soon.
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