The Psychology Behind Aviator: Top 10 Factors Keeping Players Hooked

There are many people who don’t quite understand the appeal of gambling, while around 25% of people couldn’t disagree more. Of course, gambling at the end of the day is a game. A lot of people enjoy the high-quality aesthetics that casino games use, the social element of it, the ability to flaunt their affluence, the adrenaline, and of course, the opportunity to suddenly emerge a whole lot richer. Yet, Aviator in particular has taken iGaming players by storm. Today, we’re going to discuss the psychological roots of this phenomenon.

Mechanics of Aviator

Aviator game is a fast-paced online casino game available all over the Internet. People choose a bet before the game starts, and then risk their probability of winning during the game by choosing that magical moment to get out quick. As the game progresses, the multiplier continues to amplify, displayed in the middle of the screen. People sit on the edge of their chairs anxiously, usually jittery to make the decision on when to finally jump out. As soon as the airplane disappears in the distance, if they haven’t withdrawn their win, it’s an L.

Here are some of the important features of the game to consider:

• Simple as can be: anybody can understand how to play it, though there are some typical beginner’s mistakes to clean up;
• Demo version: people can practice before they start betting real money;
• Short, quick rounds: each round, except possible rare exceptions, lasts less than a minute, before the next one starts;
• Randomized timing: a random number generator is used as per all international licensing authorities’ regulations, and there is no true pattern;
• Maximum bet of 100 dollars: having a maximum helps keep people from losing too much money;
• Simple graphic red design;

Top addicting features of Aviator

The game features a number of characteristics that are well known to amp up people’s emotions based on numerous studies. This is in line with similar traits that other crash games and gambling genres entail. Let’s explore what they are.

1. Intermittent rewards

A variable reinforcement schedule is a principle from behavioral psychology that asserts that rewards given at irregular intervals are more effective at maintaining behavior than those given consistently. The most famous event that fueled this belief initially was B. F. Skinner’s experiment with pigeons, which Science Direct explored in detail. In the experiment, the psychologist tried to get pigeons to peck on a lever, and rewarded them with food at irregular intervals.

2. Instant feedback loops

One of the most predominant trends nowadays in online casinos is quick games. People are in so much more of an instant gratification mindset today that they don’t want to wait. That bodes very well for Aviator, which takes a matter of seconds. Thus, people gain the emotional response they are craving quickly. This constant cycle of excitement generated by wins and frustration from losses reinforces engagement. 

3. Allure of risk

Humans are naturally drawn to risk in gambling because it taps into both our evolutionary instincts and psychological pressure. Some people are far less risk-averse than others. For the latter group, the endeavor triggers a much greater dopamine secretion. This is also one of the reasons many other people enjoy jumping out of airplanes, fighting bulls, and performing on stage.

4. High potential returns

A lot of people are dreamers and prone to look at optimistic possibilities more so than what negative outcomes could occur. A lot of people are sitting on a lot of money. They may be retired already, or they may simply be envisioning a dream scenario. Dreamers are why so many people repeatedly buy scratcher tickets and participate in the state lottery for hundreds of millions of dollars, though the chances of winning it are astronomically low. Psychology Today explored the psychology behind lottery participation in greater depth.

When people sit on multipliers way higher than there is a remote likelihood of them winning, this is an irrational behavior, one which would much more wisely be substituted with repeatedly banking on modest but numerous wins. There also exists such a thing called the “gambler’s fallacy”, according to which gamblers believe that after a series of losses they’re “due” a win.

5. Power of near wins

Near wins are a curious phenomenon. When people get very close to winning but still nevertheless lose, there is a triggering of dopamine, as if the player had won, leading them to believe that they are right on the verge of winning next time. Thus, it increases the player’s desire to keep playing. Players fall into a losses-chasing mentality where they go on to try and recover their losses to accompany their emotional encouragement of having gotten so close. Of course, some players have a different response – instead feeling devastated.

6. Sunk cost fallacy

Gambling can be a lot like having invested heavily into a car or a business, which for whatever reason went south and entered a state in which the venture was clearly revealed as a failure and cannot be rectified via any reasonable means. Yet, because the person put so much money and/or effort into it, they feel a need to “recover” losses, which are already gone. 

The same applies to gambling in Aviator. After the gambler has gone through an unlucky streak, they feel a need to make that money back, yet the games are already settled and what they have already lost has nothing to do with what they may gain or lose in the future. Yet they keep playing.

7. Social influences and community engagement

One of the special aspects of Aviator is that there are specific Aviator takeoffs in which everyone takes part at the same time. Every round, the past multiplier result is recorded and posted, and there is a chat for everybody to talk about how they fared in the past game. Therefore, it’s a very social and competitive atmosphere. People like being able to be a part of something big and exciting. As well as try and tease and outcompete each other.

8. Entertainment value

As this is a game, people also get to engage in playing something fun. It’s a challenge to jump out of the game at just the right time. People enjoy just playing the game in its own right. However, this is no innocent game. People are staking quite large sums of money which they either multiply or have to part ways with afterwards.

9. Visual aesthetics

The visuals are very sleek, engaging, and aesthetically pleasing. 

10. Illusion of control

A lot of people like to analyze what they see in depth, especially mathematicians, statisticians, and professional gamblers. They think that they can bend the odds in their favor. Even ordinary players have this illusion. They see that most of the time the airplane is taking off at a certain multiplier value and they think that they can game the system.

In reality, the game uses a random number generator per regulation and there is no pattern at all, even if there is a slightly higher probability of winning that statisticians can gain by playing with certain strategies. Ultimately, luck will be he deciding factor. That said, it’s nevertheless good to avoid meaningless losses by properly preparing for the game.