The result of research and innovation.
The StylGame Group, with offices in Italy and Las Vegas, has operated in the gaming and casino sector since 2001 with the aim of optimising the playing station by producing technical items such as seats, slot bases and other devices for player comfort. The approach used by the company to tackle its mission is completely unique in the sector: after years of preliminary tests, since 2008 StylGame has decided to address the subject with a scientific approach. Since then the design of its products and the choice of materials are based on criteria and data obtained through a specific ergonomic research commissioned to experts in the field. This study was validated by an important university. The company continues to innovate by developing custom projects for some of the major international slot builders and major casinos worldwide. Given the process of both commercial and internal growth that it is experiencing, and after having marked its historic revenue peak in 2017, CEO and founder Luigi Iulita explained some of the most unique aspects of the company.
Mr. Iulita, why did you choose to operate in this sector? How has your market growth developed and where are you most active?
The decision to found StylGame and operate in this sector was born from several years of experience accumulated in videogame entertainment, in arcades and in the supply of cabinets and gaming stations, a sector that was very prosperous at the time. The Gaming sector, in which we are active since 2001, has recorded an impressive growth since the end of the 90s, especially in Italy, which was and still is the prime European nation as per the number of slot machines per capita. Working in this field has allowed us great growth and through continuous investments in research, design, materials and equipment we decided in 2010 to open our branch in Las Vegas. Now we are present in the US along with 52 countries around the world, with a constant growth of about 20% per year. In addition to the casinos, gaming halls and bingo our market penetration extends to the supply of custom technical seats for international slot manufacturers and supplies for shipbuilders.
Having been in the field for many years, how have you seen the industry change – and how has your company adapted to these changes?
In these years I have seen many things change. It is a complex sector that is constantly evolving its dynamics and balance and shows very different substantial characteristics from one market to another. Over time there are changes in the type and size of operators on the markets, and the same applies to the products required: increasingly qualitative, competitive in price and, above all, customized. As StylGame we have managed to get into many markets, adapting our offer to the needs of each of these and offering highly competitive products with technical innovative features. Some of the changes that emerged in the markets have also been directly influenced by us, for example the use of ergonomic principles in the design of many new generation slot cabinets. Since 2009, with the presentation of the results of our ergonomic research, many slot manufacturers started to see cabinet-base-seating as a system aimed at optimizing the performance of the slot station by taking into account ergonomic principles in the design process, and therefore started offering customers a complete play station rather than just a cabinet.
You often talk about ergonomic principles and above all about the scientific approach to these, but what does all this consist of? What are the advantages?
The scientific approach we have adopted is based on an initial ergonomic research specific to the gaming sector, commissioned by experts in the field and performed in six months of surveys, tests and processing of data collected in the laboratory and at the Venice Casino. It then continued and continues to this day with in-depth analysis and tests of various kinds. The advantage that it offers us is to know in a statistical way what are the measurements, proportions, and the density of the materials used (padding), which offer greater comfort to most users, promoting and leading to a longer duration of play time. Consequently, this increases the revenue of the gaming halls. The simple concept of comfort, a feature that most of the seating manufacturers emphasize in a very general way, is subjective and influenced by the physical specifications of those who are trying the chair and the conditions in which they usually try it. These are hardly the aspects of an intense game session. To investigate the conditions of maximum comfort for the real user, it has been fundamental to address the issue from a scientific point of view. The average player has characteristics of use of the chair and the position in general which require a specific study and approach.
It is also important to apply the ergonomic data in relation to the average physical characteristics, adapting and modifying them correctly to make them effective in the same way in areas of the world where users have, on average, different weight and height values.
Thanks to this approach we have obtained excellent results for 10 years, which far exceed initial expectations.
Italian products are generally appreciated in the world for their design and construction quality. In general, “Made in Italy” is synonymous with quality, stylistic innovation and often luxury. Have you also chosen to go down this path and invest in design or your attention is addressed exclusively to scientific and functional aspects?
Quality is essential for us. We use only the best materials and production processes that ensure maximum strength and durability of the products, characteristics that we test widely, obtaining results that often exceed more than 200% the highest standards that can be certified.
The attention we pay to technical and functional aspects is certainly a priority and it is the feature that mainly differentiates our products on the market. We devote a lot of attention also to the aspects related to design: we have often collaborated with internationally renowned designers for the realization of both custom projects and products in our catalogue. For example, one of our best-selling frames, the Tower Pin, was designed by Pininfarina, a prestigious and iconic company of Made in Italy design.
In several interviews and articles, you often mention product customisation, what is this specifically about? Does it mainly address the available choice of finishes and materials, or a real development of products from scratch?
Customization is one of the many services we offer our customers. By producing everything in-house at 100% and having full control over every single phase of the process, from design to crafting and assembly, we can modify each project according to customer needs. Requirements of this type are more and more frequent and concern not only slot manufacturers, which often need custom technological chairs with a high level of engineering or slot bases with particular characteristics, but also to casinos for which we often make chairs with custom materials and designs. Lately, the customization process has also extended to the Service Call line, our integrated system of call for service.
So how is your offer composed today?
We produce everything you need to maximise player comfort by prolonging your stay at the slot station, so all of the elements that directly and indirectly influence gaming activity. Ergonomic seats with padding composed of materials with unique technical characteristics; frames with different rotation mechanisms; sliding platforms; height-adjustable slot bases that allow the playing station to be ergonomically correct even using slots of different heights, optimized to make any maintenance or intervention extremely fast. Also, a wide range of Service Call devices and terminals, designed to avoid distractions to the player and keep him focused on the game, maximizing the efficiency of the room service; tables and chairs for bingo and a vast range of complementary elements to the play station. At the moment we are the only company on the market able to provide everything necessary for the composition of a complete gaming station, extremely functional and optimized in the smallest detail.
What do you see in the future for your products and for the market in general?
We continue to invest time, funds and energy in the development of new projects because the future that is emerging in this sector is increasingly technological, complex, specialized and linked to the work of the major manufacturers, with many of whom we already work and collaborate.
For StylGame I foresee a continuous expansion, as we have been having in these recent years, thanks to the signing of new contracts and the growth and consolidation of our sales network, now present in more than 50 countries.
For more information contact sales@stylgame.com
