AI Micro-betting Platform
Designing for AI and ML systems
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Case study
Stake Casino Games
Designing Casino Games in the Age of AI
Case study
Designing Casino Games in the Age of AI
Creating commercially differentiated game experiences through world-building, visual design and AI-assisted development
The games showed the vital role that design plays when layered onto established game mechanics
Recently, I collaborated with a small team of experienced gaming operators to develop a series of casino games for launch on the Stake platform.
The project combined AI-assisted development workflows with traditional game design disciplines. While development focused on rapidly building and iterating the underlying systems, my responsibility was shaping the player experience around those systems.
This included:
Although the games were built on variations of the same underlying Plinko mechanic, the objective was not simply to create another implementation of a familiar system. The challenge was creating experiences that felt distinctive in a market where players have already encountered countless versions of similar mathematical models.
Casino games are often evaluated through their RTP, volatility and payout structures. While these characteristics are important, they rarely explain why players remember a game, return to it or choose it over competing products. The creative layer plays a significant role in shaping those behaviours.
The work focused on identifying what made each experience engaging and then using design to amplify it.
The first game, Dare to Drop, was built around the anticipation already present within the Plinko mechanic.
Rather than presenting that uncertainty through abstract game elements, the experience was built around a 1950s comic-inspired world influenced by pulp aviation, war comics and stunt culture.
A parachutist character became the centrepiece of the game, transforming each drop into a moment of risk and spectacle. This provided a clear creative direction that informed the wider experience, from character animation and visual feedback through to bonus mechanics and audio design.
The bonus feature was designed around collectible golden parachutes that eventually unlock a multiplier round. By tying progression directly into the game's theme, the mechanic felt integrated into the experience rather than appearing as a separate promotional feature.
The result was a game built around anticipation, risk and spectacle, with every element reinforcing the central theme.
While Dare to Drop focused on tension and anticipation, the second game explored a very different direction.
Pop Plinko was designed around a calmer, more playful atmosphere inspired by arcade titles such as Bubble Bobble and New Zealand Story, alongside influences from mobile and "cosy" games.
One of the first design decisions was inverting the Plinko board.
Although the underlying mechanic remains familiar, the inversion significantly changes the experience. The game feels lighter, more playful and less reliant on the tension typically associated with Plinko.
Visual design played a central role in creating that atmosphere. Animated birds, drifting clouds, environmental motion and responsive feedback systems were used throughout the experience to create a sense of warmth and immersion.
A considerable amount of attention was also given to environmental behaviour. The background cloud slowly expands and contracts, mirroring a relaxed human breathing rhythm. Details such as these contribute to the overall mood and pacing of the experience.
The objective was not simply to create an attractive game. It was to create a distinctive environment capable of encouraging longer and more enjoyable play sessions.
“The objective was not simply to create an attractive game. It was to create a distinctive environment capable of standing apart from more conventional casino products while encouraging longer and more enjoyable play sessions.”
Design Impact: The image on the left shows the game when I joined the project, versus the final game
Although the games look dramatically different, both were developed in response to the same commercial reality.
Casino products operate in an extremely competitive market where similar mechanics frequently appear across multiple platforms. Mathematical systems can often be replicated. Distinctive player experiences are considerably harder to reproduce.
For that reason, visual design, world-building and experience design were treated as commercial tools rather than purely aesthetic exercises.
Across both projects, design decisions were used to reinforce the aspects of the experience most likely to drive player engagement:
The goal was to create games with a recognisable identity that players would remember and return to.
The project also provided an opportunity to explore emerging AI-assisted workflows within a commercial product environment.
Development teams made extensive use of AI coding tools to accelerate implementation, prototyping and iteration. This significantly reduced the time required to move from concept to playable experience and allowed the team to test ideas much earlier in the process.
Generative AI tools were also incorporated into parts of the creative workflow, helping accelerate visual exploration and concept development.
What became clear throughout the project was that AI functioned most effectively as an acceleration layer rather than a replacement for creative direction. The technology increased output and reduced overhead, allowing more time to be spent refining the areas of the product that directly influence player engagement and differentiation.
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