Source:os.inf.tu-dresden.de

Slot machines have come a long way since the "One Armed Bandit" was invented, and video games have progressed, just a bit, since "Pong," shown here, became all the rage.

When I was a kid, TV was the big thing, black and white only, 3, maybe 4 stations, and very few households had them.

Nothing got plugged in to a TV. There weren't any VCR's, DVD's, or video games until "Pong" hit the scene and changed the way people started entertaining themselves.

Little by little this "video" technology crept into the gaming industry with computer generated slot "reels" replacing the mechanical ones. The video Poker machine emerged and now accounts for a huge percentage of slot play, but these machines were just the forerunners of the melding of video games and slot machines.

Next the "Theme" slot machines appeared and attracted a lot of attention because people liked the concept of playing a game that mimicked their favorite TV shows. These consoles are now being consigned to the slot machine grave yard in favor of the more sophisticated machines as reported here.

The video game boom continues stronger than ever and today's young adults who cut their teeth on a game controller are used to video action, competition and most recently, team play.

The gaming industry is responding to this new generation of video gamers/gamblers with interactive/team player slot machines that allow players to have the best of both worlds.