Let’s start slow. First, you have to know that there is a game called Game of Thrones Slots Casino, on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Facebook and the Amazon Appstore. So far as I can tell, it’s a game where you spin slot machines to conquer Westeros. I’ll be honest: I’m not entirely sure how. Like, you line up five Daenerys Targaryens and you some conquering points? I’ll just let developer Zynga put it in their own words:
"In Game of Thrones Slots Casino, players are immersed in the epic drama, arresting dialogue, iconic characters and driving musical themes of the series. From cliffhanger moments across the Seven Kingdoms, to sweeping landscapes and locations like The Wall, the slots gameplay is infused with the fire and ice atmosphere of Westeros and its most illustrious inhabitants, including Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister as well as House Stark members, Sansa, Arya and Jon Snow."
The game has been out for about a year, and Zynga is adding in a new feature: dragons. Yes, “players that have reached level 20 will receive an egg that incubates an infant dragon. Once born, players will name and feed their hatchling, growing it from hungry newborn to powerful creature, bringing fire and strength to their efforts to rule all of Westeros.”
"Through daily grants and by participating in quests and events, players will earn Dragon Actions. These can be used to light a fire under the egg to hatch it faster and to feed the dragon after it has emerged. Once fed, the dragon provides players with perks that increase in impact as it grows, from the Dragon Respin to an Hourly Bonus Multiplier. Players can speed their creature’s maturity by earning Dragon XP by completing quests, completing card collections and feeding their dragon. As the dragon levels up in size and strength, the rewards and benefits to the player will be more profound, and the creature will visibly change from hatchling, to juvenile, and in time, to mythic beast."
Once again, I’m kind of finding it hard to picture this in my mind’s eye. So you get a dragon, and you can hatch it and grow it and feed it until it’s big enough to help you. That all sounds good. But what’s it’s big enough to help you with, in the end, is working slot machines, which is where the disconnect happens.
But maybe in the world of the game, all conflicts are settled with the spin of a slot machine, so slots-loving dragons are prized. Wouldn’t that be a kinder, gentler way of solving problems than war and murder? Maybe this game is giving us a vision of a utopia.
Or not. Maybe it’ll make more sense if you see it in action:
Okay, now I get it. I do love the idea of taking care of a little dragon.
In any case, the dragon feature will allow players “to live out our ‘Mother of Dragons’ dreams in time for Father’s Day,” or that’s how the release puts it. Casino dragons!
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