Las Vegas and Little Boxes
Three years ago, I went to Las Vegas for the first time, and I was very surprised at what I discovered there.
Nothing worth talking about.
I'm not the first person to venture into "The Entertainment Capital of the World" and come away confused about it how it developed that reputation. I've spoken to several other people who spent a few days in Vegas and, after wandering around on the strip and seeing a show, came away without any clue about the city's appeal.
I'm astonished at how much the same all the casinos are. Sure, each of them has a different theme, like Treasure Island, Paris, and MGM Grand, etc, but inside, all of them are identical. Once you get past the decor and the initial branding in the lobby, there's very little in the casinos that differentiates any of them from all of the others.
The experience in every casino is made of "ticky-tacky". They all have the same machines, the same table games, the same watresses walking around handing out free drinks, the same call girls hovering around the bar, the same flashy lights, the same lure of the frequent gambler's card, comping the high rollers, and so on. They're all the same. Innately, nothing makes you want to go to one casino over another. They do nothing to differentiate themselves from one another.
I suppose this works for them. Branding is just image-deep. It's superficial, and they make money because people come to Vegas in hoards, ready to experience the city just because it's Vegas. To them, the financial success is a given, so you don't have to do much besides build a pretty place and let people come in. It's a lazy marketer's dream because you don't have to do actually do anything.
I'm surprised that none of them has even tried anything new in the last 50 years. Here's a quick exercise: I'll describe a game and you tell me what it is.
1. It's a machine that's got wheels with pictures on them and a lever you pull to make the wheels spin. They stop spinning at random times. If you get the same three, four, or five things in a row, you win. What is it? Slots, of course.
2. What's the game you play at a table against the dealer? There are a few, but the first one that came to your mind was probably Blackjack. Those Pai-Gow tables are empty and full of dealers paying their dues for no tips.
3. What's the table game that you play with cards against several other people? Poker. (If you've been paying attention the last ten years, you probably said something more specific, like Hold 'em.)
I just described 95% of what you find in Vegas. They're popular and they're what people expect, so they're very prevalent. But why haven't these things changed in the last 50 years? Sure, slots have gone digital and now have 5 wheels instead of just 3. And it used to be 5-card Draw, not No Limit Hold 'em. Why has no one bothered to even try creating a new kind of game? Why not one you play with your feet, like DDR? Okay, bad idea...my only point is, why are they all table games and machine games?
I think if one of the casinos chooses to break the "Little Box" mold and do something truly unique, they'll win big. What happens in Vegas doesn't stay there. People would tell their friends.
Nothing worth talking about.
I'm not the first person to venture into "The Entertainment Capital of the World" and come away confused about it how it developed that reputation. I've spoken to several other people who spent a few days in Vegas and, after wandering around on the strip and seeing a show, came away without any clue about the city's appeal.
I'm astonished at how much the same all the casinos are. Sure, each of them has a different theme, like Treasure Island, Paris, and MGM Grand, etc, but inside, all of them are identical. Once you get past the decor and the initial branding in the lobby, there's very little in the casinos that differentiates any of them from all of the others.
The experience in every casino is made of "ticky-tacky". They all have the same machines, the same table games, the same watresses walking around handing out free drinks, the same call girls hovering around the bar, the same flashy lights, the same lure of the frequent gambler's card, comping the high rollers, and so on. They're all the same. Innately, nothing makes you want to go to one casino over another. They do nothing to differentiate themselves from one another.
I suppose this works for them. Branding is just image-deep. It's superficial, and they make money because people come to Vegas in hoards, ready to experience the city just because it's Vegas. To them, the financial success is a given, so you don't have to do much besides build a pretty place and let people come in. It's a lazy marketer's dream because you don't have to do actually do anything.
I'm surprised that none of them has even tried anything new in the last 50 years. Here's a quick exercise: I'll describe a game and you tell me what it is.
1. It's a machine that's got wheels with pictures on them and a lever you pull to make the wheels spin. They stop spinning at random times. If you get the same three, four, or five things in a row, you win. What is it? Slots, of course.
2. What's the game you play at a table against the dealer? There are a few, but the first one that came to your mind was probably Blackjack. Those Pai-Gow tables are empty and full of dealers paying their dues for no tips.
3. What's the table game that you play with cards against several other people? Poker. (If you've been paying attention the last ten years, you probably said something more specific, like Hold 'em.)
I just described 95% of what you find in Vegas. They're popular and they're what people expect, so they're very prevalent. But why haven't these things changed in the last 50 years? Sure, slots have gone digital and now have 5 wheels instead of just 3. And it used to be 5-card Draw, not No Limit Hold 'em. Why has no one bothered to even try creating a new kind of game? Why not one you play with your feet, like DDR? Okay, bad idea...my only point is, why are they all table games and machine games?
I think if one of the casinos chooses to break the "Little Box" mold and do something truly unique, they'll win big. What happens in Vegas doesn't stay there. People would tell their friends.