Effects of Audiovisual Cues on Game Immersion during Simulated Slot Machine Gambling

Modern slot machines can create immersive experiences for gamblers. Design features, including audiovisual cues, may influence these experiences, potentially interacting with personal risk factors for disordered gambling. According to the incentive salience hypothesis of addiction, reward-paired audiovisual cues strongly motivate behavior. This study manipulated audiovisual cues during simulated slot machine gambling to test the effects of varying intensities on self-reported immersion. Undergraduate students (n = 156) played a realistic slot machine simulation within an authentic cabinet. They experienced three intensities of audiovisual cues: Minus, Intermediate, and Plus. Participants completed self-report questionnaires, including a retrospective game immersion questionnaire. The pre-registered hypothesis was partially supported: the Intermediate cue condition was associated with greater game immersion than the Minus condition (p < 0.05). Exploratory models revealed higher total scores on the depression, anxiety, and stress scale predicted greater immersion in the Intermediate condition (p < 0.001). A Cue x Gender interaction was driven by greater immersion in the Intermediate cue condition among women, but not men (p < 0.05). Problem gambling severity predicted greater immersion across all models (p < 0.001). Audiovisual cues influenced immersion in slot machine gambling, supporting regulatory attention to audiovisual features as an engineered product aspect. Contrary to predictions, immersion was highest at the intermediate not maximal level of stimulation. Gender and affective symptoms also impacted immersion, indicating personal risk factors in susceptibility.