Joe Kaminkow: People always look for the next new thing in slots

Joe Kaminkow: People always look for the next new thing in slots

In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero, Joe Kaminkow of Aristocrat looks back at some of the company’s iconic slot machines.

Designing games for the gambling industry is a daunting task.

In order to deliver the world’s greatest gaming content, operators need to search for the world’s greatest game developers. It should be someone who knows how to combine mathematics, art, and brands to make great games that delight players.

Most importantly, that person should be someone who have a lot of tricks up his/her sleeves.

Joe Kaminkow, of Aristocrat, is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful creative talents in the global gaming industry. He agrees that game development takes more than just a concept; offerings should be something fresh and exciting for people to embrace.

“Everyone has their own segmentation of what they’re interested in. So, you can’t make something for everyone any longer,” Kaminkow told CalvinAyre.com. “People are always looking for the next new thing. It is sort of like a movie theater on a Friday night. Everybody goes in and they want to see ‘what’s the next comedy,’ or ‘what’s the next R film,’ or ‘what’s the next drama?’”

A man of many surprises, Kaminkow created some of the iconic slots brands throughout the years, including Sex and the City, classic Batman 1966, Game of Thrones, and Britney Spears.

“Of course, I made a couple of Wheel of Fortune games. I made a lot of products, probably one of the most fun ones was The Addams Family that we did about two decades ago,” he said.

When he’s not designing games, Kaminkow said he’s doing other activities like collecting cars, producing Broadway shows, and participating in baseball games.

“My car collections, unfortunately, I think, I’m going to get therapy for. It’s over 40 cars at this point in time,” he said. “But yeah, you know, the Batmobile, and a lot of fast cars. I also produce Broadway shows, and own a baseball team. Yeah, I am a man of many surprises.”