Modern slot machines make use of a lot of varying features to make a game dynamic and interesting to a player. One such item is something called an accumulator.
An accumulator is a visual meter of some sort that shows a progression. These meters can be either illustrative, or actually serve a function to a game.
An example of an accumulator that is just for visuals are the various pot/firework/etc. games, which show a progression but don’t actually give any useful information. They may show that it’s been awhile since a bonus has occurred, but they don’t tell you how close you are to a bonus.
Other accumulators provide information that is directly related to what will happen on a machine. Regal Riches has counters that indicate how many wilds will be awarded when a particular bonus is triggered. And because they are also must hit by counters, they give an indication of how far away a bonus may be in the worst case scenario.
Across the board, the use of accumulators leans into the psychological aspect of slots. If you’re getting a lot of losing spins, but something is evolving and growing, it gives the player that little taste of something happening and encourages a player to play longer.
Players often ask us why these games are appearing all over the place – it’s because they do their job. The games get played more, and we’ve definitely seen some people play them because the pots were full. Despite the message in the pay table that they’re not a visual indicator of anything, they continue to get players to play.
So that’s what an accumulator is – it helps to know if it’s one that provides information or not, because that can be the difference between chasing nothing and chasing a good opportunity for a bonus.
