Feature by Alex Hartl, Ph. D.

So, You Want to Sell Your Idea
What it truly takes to make your dream slot a reality

Regular readers of Strictly Slots have certainly been around a casino floor long enough to have formulated an idea or two about what constitutes the perfect slot game. Many readers will have undoubtedly thought that their idea, if properly implemented, would earn millions. Quite a few have actually tried to sell their ideas to gaming manufacturers. Being a successful slot player is a difficult job; it's natural that anybody who's achieved a level of success has wondered if it wouldn't be easier to join the other side.

That's where I come in. I am the destroyer of dreams, the crusher of optimism, the guy at the gaming company whose job it is to sift through proposals from outside sources and reject them.

Sometimes, I don't reject ideas. I pass them up the line to be rejected by people far more important than me. Very rarely do I pass one up the line that actually gets produced. Rarely, but it does happen.

If you think you have a million-dollar idea, be forewarned. Making money from your game ideas is at least as difficult as making money from playing video poker. Many try, few succeed, many that do succeed wish they didn't. But a select few manage to reach the promised land of milk and money. If you think your idea is worth money and you have what it takes to see it through, read on!

The first step in selling your million-dollar idea is to be sure you have a million-dollar idea. In my experience, million-dollar ideas usually have one of three weaknesses, the first of which is that the idea is not new.

A friend of mine gave me a call a few weeks ago suggesting that my company design a slot machine in which the jackpot consisted of lining up the head, torso and legs of a beautiful (and erotically dressed/undressed) woman. Think of the 18-35 year old male demographic, I was told. I would sell millions. My reply was: "Think of all of the 18-35 year old men in the gaming industry and how many of them have come up with the very same idea." (For the record, I have a three-inch folder in my files labeled "Porno Slot Submissions," which serves admirably as a source of amusement on slow days.)

Before you go through the trouble to package and pitch your ultimate idea, take the time to find out if it is original; chances are, it is not.

Many of the truly original ideas that I receive are original because they focus on a concept of narrow appeal. I recently got a submission from a gentleman that had an idea for a slot machine based on the game of Go. Go, for those of you that do not know, is an ancient Chinese game of skill that some say is far more subtle and complex than chess. As somebody that has played the game, I was fascinated with the concept. But as somebody who is supposed to know what players want, I was forced to conclude few casinos would be overrun by throngs of rabid Go players. I receive many such game ideas from gardeners, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers that tout the wonders of games based upon their particular interest.

Try to remember that not everybody shares your interests or tastes. Go to a casino and take a long look at the players sitting in front of the video poker and slot machines and ask yourself if those people would spend their hard-earned money on what you are proposing.

If you still think you have a million-dollar idea, realize that a million dollars is often not enough. Building a slot machine is a complicated process involving artists, computer programmers, mathematicians, legal specialists, manufacturers and many others. It's not unusual for a year to pass before a great slot idea gets transformed into a physical game. This process requires planning and scheduling that is very resistant to change. Not only does your wonderful idea have to be original and appealing to many, it must be good enough to beat out all of the other original and appealing games that would have been produced had your idea not come into the picture. Remember that there are many smart people in the gaming industry who get paid to come up with the next big game-and all of them are vying to get their ideas produced first.

Once you have convinced yourself that your idea is original, has broad appeal and is so profitable that gaming companies will stop the assembly line to make room for it, you must now ask yourself exactly what it is you are trying to sell.

I frequently have the following conversation:

Q. "So you have this wonderful slot machine in mind. Have you calculated the hit frequency, pay percentage, jackpot frequency or volatility?"

A. "No, I thought your mathematician would handle that."

Q. "Do you have any artwork showing what the symbols and glass might look like?"

A. "No, I thought your art staff could whip up some drawings that we can take a look at."

Q. "Have you checked to see if we are infringing on anybody's trademarks or patents?"

A. "Come on, I know you guys have lawyers that look into that kind of stuff."

Q. "How feasible do you think this game is to engineer?"

A. "I'm not an engineer but I can't imagine it being too difficult."

Q. "How much do you want for this idea?"

A. " Half a million dollars but I'm willing to negotiate."

The result of the pre-ceding con-versation is almost always a promise to consider the idea and a polite walk to the front door.

If you want a gaming manufacturer to spend money on your idea, you must provide them with something that is concrete and, hopefully, something that is difficult for them to do on their own. Frequently, you will need to spend your own money hiring lawyers, mathematicians or computer programmers or you'll need to spend much your time doing a lot of work by yourself. As in all business, you'll need to take risks if you expect rewards. It is unrealistic to think that you'll be able to walk into an office, wow people with your idea and walk out with a check and be done with it. The most successful independent game designers are those who come to gaming manufacturers with a game complete with math, legal safeguards, and at least a working prototype of the art and game play. Vary rarely do people coming in with less walk away with money.

The bottom line is that if you want to see your ideas in flashing neon glory, you'll have to put in a lot of work. The odds are against you, but independently designed games do make it onto the casino floors and, sometimes, their designers do make a great deal of money. But it isn't easy-it's difficult. Then again, if you're reading this magazine, you may well think you have what it takes. l

If so, I look forward to hearing from you. You may reach me at AHartl@shufflemaster.com