He was lured to IGT in 1998 while browsing the slot-maker's latest games at the World Gaming Congress and Expo. A 13-year veteran of Sega Corporation, where he had designed more than 75 pinball games including South Park and Star Wars, Kaminkow was just the creative force IGT was looking for. He was hired as director of cool games and within weeks was promoted to his current position, responsible for creating machines such as including The Addams Family, Pink Panther, Little Green Men and Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. Characterized as a conservative and safe game designer, he also incorporates nostalgia into many of his slot machines, as he did in I Dream of Jeannie. But creativity may spark anywhere and by anything, so he keeps a pen and a pad of paper outside his shower.
Creativity is the easy part, though.
The process of getting a slot idea from the creator's mind to the casino floor can be grueling. It's 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Anyone can come up with an idea, but implementation is the real work. Producing an average of 50 to 60 slot machines per quarter, Kaminkow's team, of which he considers himself the coach, is constantly testing the limits of slot machine design. At IGT, the creative challenges are tremendous, and as the coach, I make others do better.