Sex and the City: The Series
“Sex and The City” was about four friends living in New York
City. They have frank discussions about their romantic
relationships, including the gritty details of the physical
relations with the male gender. Despite a dizzying array of
romances, the four women remain good friends throughout the
series.
Many women identified with Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica
Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia
Nixon), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) because they were in
their mid-thirties (or older) at the time. The characters thus
were slightly more realistic description of the singles scene,
as experienced by women who were now veterans in the dating
scene.
In many ways, “Sex and the City” turned the genre of romantic
comedy on its ear.
Viewers saw discussions of subjects that might be heard
normally in a men’s locker room. Some critics of the day
suggested it was a more frank and realistic portrayal of what
women discuss when they’re alone.
Critics of the Show
Not everyone was a fan. The American Journal of Paediatrics
did a 2008 study which tested viewers of SATC and Friends
against the general population. The study showed that females
age 12-17 were twice as likely to have an unwanted pregnancy and
twice as likely to contract an STD. The research followed years
of social critics who complained the show was helping to destroy
the morals of America’s young women.
Not all of the critics were politically conservative, either.
Feminists in Glamour Magazine and the Daily Observer complained
that the show reinforced two negative stereotypes: woman as mere
sex symbols and “women as children”. A common criticism was this
group of women were not concerned about career, good spending
habits, or intelligence, but instead obsessed about men and
relationships.
Even longtime viewers had their gripes. ABC News and Rankers
polls consistently rank Carrie Bradshaw among the top ten worst
characters in TV history. Years after the show was off the air,
the New York published an article describing the main
protagonist as the show’s worst character, saying she was too
obsessive, anxious, and “wildly self-involved” to be redeemable.
Fans of the Show
Mountains of criticism did not drive away fans. At the height
of its popularity, millions of Americans considered Sex and the
City their favorite show. Viewer polls are notoriously
inaccurate, because the people polled cannot view every single
television show being considered. Fans argued that art was
imitating life and not the other way around.
The New Yorker’s Emily Nussbaum pushed back against the
notion the show should be downgraded to a guilty pleasure. She
complained that men could identify with characters on The
Sopranos, The Wire, and Mad Men without being murderous or
self-destructive, yet women were not allowed to identify with
Carrie Bradshaw and her friends. Nussbaum argued women, like
men, were smart enough to tell the difference in fiction and
real life.
In many ways, “Sex and the City” was a kind of horror show
for its fans. It became the kind of life women wanted to avoid.
Its characters were people you probably didn’t want to meet, and
certainly didn’t want to be. That’s no different than other
successful TV comedies, like “Seinfeld” or “It’s Always Sunny in
Philadelphia”. The much-maligned show’s fans realize, in the
end, it’s all done for laughs.
Sex and the City: The Movies
The 2008 movie received mixed reviews, but it was a
commercial success. The film was the highest-grossing romantic
comedy of 2008. The 2010 sequel received bad reviews and was not
as commercially successful, though it still did quite well at
the box office.
Even its fans admit “Sex and the City 2” was a bad movie,
though. Some even suggest that many of the revisionist critiques
of the HBO series were due to over-the-top characterizations in
the second film.
Game Basics
Here are some basic details about the Sex and the City slot
game.
Theme and Colors
IGT’s designers wanted to make sure the women in the casino
notice this gaming machine. The box is colored candy pink, while
the logo includes sparkling diamonds across the New York City
skyline.
Reel Symbols
The reel symbols on the game include the four main cast
members: Charlotte, Carrie, Miranda, and Samantha. Mr. Big is
also included. Other pictures on the reels include a diamond
ring, a dress, purple heels, a handbag, a limousine, and
Cosmopolitan.
Pink Heart Scatter
The key symbol is the pink heart, which acts as a scatter
symbol on the game. When 3 or more appear on the screen at any
given time, this symbol activates the bonus game.
Cascading Wilds
IGT’s “Tumbling Reels” feature is their name for its
cascading wilds. On the Tumbling Reels bonus game, these icons
appear as wild symbols. They lock into place until they help
unlock a winning combination. As they do, they “tumble down” or
cascade off the screen, leaving other symbols in their place.
The tumbling reels are a favorite IGT feature, because it
locks into place a helpful icon until a win is produced. That
way, no wild symbols are lost due to poor placement. Another
advantage of this feature is it gives a player two chances to
build a winning combination, because the tumbling reels
sometimes produce a second win.
Multi-Play Feature
The Multi-Play Feature allows gamblers to decide which of the
four main characters they want to be. One of the six bonus games
is based off of the show’s four main characters: Carrie,
Charlotte, Samantha, or Miranda.
Each has her own bonus game, so you don’t get stuck with a
character you dislike. Each of the games plays out in much the
same way. Keep in mind this is a 4-in-1 bonus game, so you
actually receive 9 total bonus options.
Bonus Games
There are four bonus games in this slot. The details are as
follows.
Change of Dress Bonus Game
The Change of Dress bonus game is particularly fun. In this
game, you’re allow to pick out a dress and accessories for one
of the women. Depending on the dress you choose, it provides
multipliers and free credits for the coming bonus game.
Simply Fabulous Bonus Game
The Simply Fabulous bonus game uses Charlotte’s wedding as a
theme. You are told to pick from a number of ring boxes. Each
time this game is triggered, you receive 3 picks.
Each ring box has a number between 0 and 9. When you make
your selections, the three numbers are placed together to reveal
how many coins you won on the game. The bonus can be in the many
hundreds.
Hello Lover Bonus Game
The Hello Lover bonus game is based off a key element of the
show: women’s shoes. In this game, you’ll be shown virtual
showboxes. In each of these boxes you’ll find a pair of shoes.
You’ll be asked to find the characters’ favorite pair of shoes.
Once your selection is made, this becomes the Locking Symbol
on the coming bonus game. The free spin mode begins, when you’ll
be shown the results. The locking symbol is pivotal in deciding
the size of your bonus.
Perfect Gift Bonus
The Perfect Gift bonus game lets the player choose from a
range of potential gifts for one of the protagonists. The
options are clothes, a yellow rose, a chocolate box, and a
champagne bottle. Each of these correspond to a coin amount.
While this is a straightforward game, it’s also one of the most
profitable ones.
Wide-Area Progressive Jackpot
Sex and the City Slots has 5 progressive jackpots. Four the
five progressives are smaller, much like the Breakfast at
Tiffany’s Slots game. For instance, the progressive jackpots
might be $15, $30, $200, and $500. The fifth progressive is the
wide-area jackpot.
The wide-area jackpot is a linked progressive jackpot with
many gaming machines feeding into the same prize. Anytime a
gambler hits “Spin” and doesn’t win the big prize, a part of
their bet goes to feed the progressive jackpot. This can rise
into the millions of dollars.
Summary
IGT hit it out of the park with their Sex and the City Slots
design. The gaming machines embodies the show quite well,
whether you’re a fan or not. I imagine many women are going to
enjoy this slot machine, while most men are likely to roll their
eyes.
With a large number of wilds, cascading wilds, scatters, and
four bonus games, the features are first-rate. The real stars of
the show are the progressive jackpots. Four of the progressives
are not going to be the life-changing variety, but they are nice
additions. The Sex and the City progressive jackpot should make
this gaming machine a worthwhile game.
