Digital Leisure Ups the Ante
by SealWyf, HSM Editor
It’s become apparent that the way to create a successful public space in Home is to offer constant change. You may have the most epic content in the world, but if it stays the same week after week, people will experience what you have to offer, and then drift away.
Digital Leisure has been Home’s greatest example of this principle, with its constant updates to the Paradise Springs Casino. They aren’t all large updates. Some are as small as a change to a betting structure. But, taken together, they make the Casino a living, breathing space where we keep returning to experience what’s new.
Since their last big addition, the Bingo Parlor, Digital Leisure has added the following:
- a High Rollers Lounge, for extreme betting
- a first anniversary event, with the reward of an active item cake you can jump out of
- a new reward for reaching Tier 5 in all games, a gangster suit
- a new slot machine, “King Tut’s Tomb”
- doubling the maximum total bet in Craps to 400 credits
- two new Lucky Fountain prizes, the Elizabeth Tower and the Hearts Bra
None of these changes and additions is particularly major, except for the High Rollers Lounge. But, taken together, there is a clear pattern. Digital Leisure is making a statement: the Casino won’t stay the same for long. There will always be something new to experience, and something new to earn.
These constant small changes make the Casino feel like a live space, and more like a real-world casino property. Many Home spaces are more or less fossilized, and it’s no coincidence that they are usually nearly empty. There are exceptions: Aurora undergoes major periodic changes, complete with version numbers. And of course the Hub and Pier Park see regular updates publicizing new content, and showcasing seasonal promotions. The weekly changes of the free, discounted and previewed content in x7 are the main reason that many people drop by that space every Wednesday evening.
Not all changes are equal. In my experience, the most effective way to bring people back into a space they’ve gotten tired of is to offer a new reward. It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as it’s free. Attaching the reward to a game adds a layer of fun, gives the item a higher perceived value, and keeps people in the space longer.
Quirky rewards are best. Digital Leisure has a strong track record of offering odd prizes, which can often be used to great effect in decorating because they are unique. I personally love the “old people” themed rewards offered for Bingo, such as the wheelchair and the IV stand.
The worst rewards are virtual tee shirts. There should really be a moratorium on tee shirts in Home. And I keep hoping Sony will add a “recycle bin” to the wardrobe, a black hole into which we can drop all the items we never, ever want to see again.
But, returning to the subject of the article, Digital Leisure’s recent Casino changes, here’s a series of mini-reviews:
The High Rollers Lounge:
This room, which was repeatedly requested by HSM writer and Casino maven DarthGranny, is a reward for the “whales” who drive much of the Casino’s revenue. The buy-ins here are way beyond my budget, but I’m not really a whale — I’m more of a harbor porpoise, riding the wake of the whales as they finance the Casino with their intense play. Take a look at the leaderboard next to the Roulette and Big Six room. During the current quarter, the top earners have accumulated over 60 million credits in total wins. My earning for the same period are under 300,000, which puts me around 600 in the leaderboard ranking. Those top ranks are way beyond my reach, but I wish those who seek them all the best. These are the people who are paying for the rest of us.
First Anniversary celebration:
The Anniversary event was fun. I’m glad they kept the duration short — having a limited run made the event feel more special. And I really enjoyed the active item cake reward, which lets you jump out of a cake in your own apartment. It’s not something you can use in every decorating scheme, but we had some fun putting them in Homeling clubhouses. And it’s definitely nicer than another tee shirt.
Tier 5 prize:
The Tier prizes are a great idea, but this one is driving me crazy. I’m already at Tier 5 or above in most of the games, but I’m struggling to catch up with Bingo. The problem is, Bingo is a very volatile game. While the jackpots are huge, they are comparatively rare. And the house “hold” is very large, close to 1/4 of the total buy-in. At the moment I’m going through a long unlucky streak, and my bankroll is draining like a bathtub. I have to ask myself whether I really want a gangster suit I can’t see myself wearing. But this is reward psychology — I want the suit simply because it’s there to be won. Digital Leisure’s market staff definitely know what they are doing.
King Tut’s Tomb slot:
I have mixed feelings about “King Tut’s Tomb”. The Egyptian symbols are nice, and it’s fun to have another slot theme after the incredibly dull “Lucky Lines”. However, this is an obvious re-skin of the other game. It plays exactly the same — it simply has different pictures. One of the joys of real-world slots is exploring the different play styles, from ancient reel-spinners to elaborate video platforms with stacked wilds, collapsing reels, complex bonus rounds, progressive jackpots and lots of screen animation. So “King Tut” was fun for a few hours, but it didn’t hold my interest. Perhaps next time, Digital Leisure will create something more exciting.
Higher max bet in Craps:
Doubling the maximum bet in Craps is a good thing, and one I requested in my initial review of the Craps game. The thing with Craps is you have a lot of money in play at once through multiple bets — Pass Line and odd, Come bets and odds, and possibly some Place bets if you are feeling lucky. A 200 credit limit made it hard to put significant amounts on a lot of numbers. So, having a 400 credit limit is a real improvement. At this point, my only other request would be to add Craps to the VIP room, with even higher limits.
New Lucky Fountain prizes:
The Lucky Fountain is a fun (though frequently frustrating) game. The Elizabeth Tower is cute, although I was disappointed that it was not an active item clock. However, the new prize, the “Hearts Bra”, is not to my taste. I think I’ll sit this one out. But it’s good that Digital Leisure keeps changing the prizes. And I’ve seen a lot of people tossing coins into the fountain, so I’m guessing this item appeals to many.
We can be assured that the Casino will keep on changing, in ways that will keep bringing us back. Digital Leisure has announced that very soon there will be a new reward for reaching Tier 6 in all games: Elephant Suits! They really look like a lot of fun, so I guess I’ll be spending even more time (and money) leveling up in Bingo.
February 20th, 2013 by SealWyf_ | 3 comments
SealWyf is a museum database programmer, who has been active in online communities since before the Internet, and in console gaming since the PS1. In games, she prefers the beautiful and quirky, and anything with a strong storyline. She is obsessed with creating new aesthetic experiences in PlayStation Home.
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The key is rewards and theres something for everyone there, I noticed digital leisure got tweets about wheres the reward list for King Tuts slots when they were just adding the slot total already available. Rewards create a need in some users to play or do something they usually wouldnt. Ill never get tier 5 or 6 suits as I really only play poker or blackjack, on a career earnings of 2.5 million though. The amount of games there though means even if you know nothing about casinos you can play something there.
The elephant suits are already out, and it is funny to see Dumbo walking around. I like the casino and I am trying for the one million chip penthouse apartment, but I am doing it very slowly, not going whole hog on it. My faves are craps and video poker, I have been trying to play poker the last few days but I haven’t been able to find a decent game, it seems people are busy elsewhere. What I like about the casino is that in real life I have never gambled, but in my virtual life I can without real consequences, and get rewarded while having fun. Good article Seal.
I wish you could just buy that Elvis Jumpsuit, because whatever I leave the Casino with is a fraction of what I stared with, lol. Maybe you can give me some lessons Seal? I would say…thank you…thank you, very much, ah-huh.