塑造“有趣”的游戏经验

　　乐趣在哪里？令人惊讶的是，根据游戏研究员杰弗里Lohenhart的研究统计，95％的老虎机玩家并不认为他们在赌博，也不认为自己是赌徒。但业内人士仍然认为他们的客户就是冲着赌博来的，并且他们把客户都以“玩家”的身份对待，认为他们谈论的都是游戏的胜利和损失。当一对夫妇外出吃晚餐和看电影，他们并不认为他们是损失了$ 120，这只是他们获得娱乐体验应该支付的成本。赌场要取得成功，需要将赌场打造成一个娱乐场地，成为一个提供娱乐体验的地方。

　　超越欢呼

　　欢呼对我们来说可能是常见的，我们会一直不停做这样的事情直到死亡：从白老虎、火山、花坛再到过山车这每一样事情都会惊呼。我们如何让人们留下来继续玩游戏呢？为什么我们花那么多钱进入到梦幻般的的赌场，而以离开赌场作为最后的收尾呢？

　　没有人会长期呆在混乱的地方，而经常呆在同一个地方也是枯燥的事情。有许多赌场想引起大家的关注，但实在是太少的赌场能够持续的吸引客户的注意力。一个赌场的设计风格，要使顾客感到舒适，同时考虑到客户的兴趣和关注点。

　　品质很重要

　　经美国博彩协会调查，公布了在一个特定的赌场中，关于客户的“气氛和体验”兴趣排名。排名前几位的是：游戏，娱乐，食品。

　　有过赌场经验的人都特别注重在一个特定的赌场中氛围环境的享受，所以赌场要取得成功在赌场品质方面下苦功是非常有必要的。正如切诺基民族企业首席执行官大卫·斯图尔特表示：Hard Rock酒店与塔尔萨赌场联合起来，毋庸置疑，物业的设置直接关系到我们的财产的财务表现。”

　　设计影响你相关的行为。通过设计来提高财务业绩这样的想法应该是可以的，但它一般也很难理解。好的设计能够吸引顾客，让他们留下来，成为了让他们玩游戏的一个重要手段。它已被证明，好的赌场设计与改善老虎机性能后的效益相比，是它的300％。

　　了解客户

　　每个人都会赞同，赌场的设计会影响财产的收入。然而，在了解不同的设计概念如何影响客户玩牌的兴趣时，可能会有所不同，这取决于客户之间的巨大差距。

　　一个好的赌场环境，不是那么容易就能够获得一个共同的认可，因为不同的人有不同的爱好。例如，一个“好玩的地方”，对于70岁的妇女与30岁的男人来说会有所不同，我们将如何建立一个地方同时满足这两个人的需求呢？

　　“一些最成功的印度赌场会随着时间的推移会不断扩大，导致网站的设计看起来可能像火车残骸混乱不堪，但实际情况是，每个部分都有不同的赌场气氛。

　　音乐是另一个需要考虑的问题。

　　我们最好的客户，都应该是一些不需要脑力活动的群体 - 都是些55岁以上的成年人，有可能对放得很大声的音乐并不领情，或者说被音乐激怒了。然而，实际上，今天各地赌场正在播放的都是一些高雅的音乐。西弗吉尼亚州的惠灵岛赌场，提出了有见地的问题：“如果我们的顾客是平均61岁的女人，那么为什么我们的是摇滚乐队，而不是一个美甲沙龙？”

　　译文

　　Creating a “fun” experience

　　— Where is the fun? Surprisingly, according to gaming researcher Dr. Jeffrey Lohenhart, 95 percent of the slot players do not think they are gambling, nor consider themselves gamblers. Yet those in the industry still think that their customers are there to “gamble.” They refer to them as “players,” and talk about win and loss. When a couple goes out to dinner and the movies, they don’t consider that they “lost $120.” It was just the cost of their entertainment experience. To be successful, the casino needs to be understood as an entertainment venue and deliver on the entertainment experience that will compete with other choices.

　　Beyond the WOW

　　— The wow factor is a great draw but we have done it to death—everything from white tigers and volcanoes to flower gardens and roller coasters. How do we get people to stay and play? Why do we spend so much money on all of these fantastic casino properties just to leave the casino floor as an after-thought?

　　No one stays long in a place that is chaotic, or a place that is boring. There are many casinos which grab peoples’ attention but there are far too few that hold their attention. So the ability of a casino’s design to make the customer feel comfortable while engaging their interest and attention is crucial.

　　Character is important

　　— In a survey by the American Gaming Association, “Atmosphere and Experience” was ranked as the number one determinant in customers’ interest in going to a particular casino. It easily out-ranked the games, entertainment, and food.

　　Since the experience people have and the environment they have it in determines their enjoyment at a particular casino, the character of the casino is critically important to the success of the property. As David Stewart, CEO Cherokee Nation Enterprises has said regarding the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Tulsa: “Without a doubt, property design is directly related to the financial performance of our property.”

　　Design influences how you feel and what you do. The idea of utilizing design to increase financial performance should be obvious, yet it is generally not understood. Good design plays a significant factor in attracting customers and enticing them to stay and play. It has been proven that great casino design can improve same-slot performance by as much as 300 percent.

　　Knowing the customer

　　— Everyone would admit that the design of a casino affects the success of the property. Yet there is a huge gap in knowing how different design concepts affect the customer to improve or reduce their play, and how that might be different depending on whom specifically that customer is.

　　It’s not that easy to create an agreed upon great casino environment, since that means different things to different people. For instance, a “fun place” would be different to 70-year-old women versus 30-year-old guys. How do we create the right place for both of them?

　　“Some of the most successful Indian casinos have been expanded over time. The resulting site plan may look like a train wreck of buildings, but the reality is that each section has a different casino atmosphere, coincidently providing a wide variety of experiences,” comments Rich Emery, design partner at Thalden - Boyd - Emery Architects.

　　Music is another issue.

　　It should be a no-brainer that our best customers – adults over 55 – do not appreciate and are likely irritated by loud Techno, Trance, or Rap music. Yet it is actually is being played today throughout some elegant casinos and also, unbelievably, in their pricey fine-dining restaurants, where grey is the predominant hair color. Teresa Boley, slots director at Wheeling Island Casino, Wheeling, W.Va., asked the insightful question: “If our average customer is a 61-year-old woman, why do we have rock bands instead of a nail salon?”