Why is chance an important component in games and what tools does the designer have at their disposal to deploy this element?
Most games involve some kind of chance unless it is purely strategic such as tic-tac-toe or chess. Having a game that includes something to even the chances for the players is more likely to reach a wider audience over a game that is purely based on skill/strategy, but having the right balance of the two is up to the discretion of the designer.
Chance is something that gives the game random-ability that can ultimately match the skills of players as it bases success on the luck of something as simple as dice. A dice roll is purely random and that is what adds to the game, a sense of mystery and not knowing whether your action will help or hinder your progress in the game, and it can be used as an important dynamic in games design.
Designers can use chance in delaying solvability eg. in a game such as chess, there is an resolution to the game that is achieved by calculated moves and strategy by the player. A similar example is tic-tac-toe which is won through pure skill, but this can get tedious and chance enhances games by adding a random event, this is explained in the book as it "prevents the mastering of the game, because making the exact same decisions may lead to different outcomes".
Chance can also be used as making the play competitive for the weaker players, and it is explained in the book to prolong the enjoyment of a game for the weaker player, as it allows them to have a genuine chance of winning as there are random events that will cause a change to the game. For example in tic-tac-toe, an experienced player will know where to put the next symbol, but if an iteration to the game was considered to add chance, eg. dice roll to see who gets to put 2 symbols on the first turn, gives the weaker player a real chance to win which will ultimately keep him/her interested in the game for longer.
There are 4 mechanics that can be used to increase chance in games:
- Dice | Cube of 6 equal sides with 1-6 on the sides, rolled for a random number.
- Cards | Pack of 51, 4 suits (Ace to King 13 cards) shuffled to make random.
- Pseudo-Random number generators | A number that is close enough to be random generated by a computer.
- Hidden information | When a player doesn't know information it is random.
Why is skill an important component in games and what tools does the designer have at their disposal to deploy this element?
It says in the book "The heart of a good game is a series of interesting decisions" which is ultimately the definition of skill in games. A series of tactical/strategic decisions that will hopefully help the progress in the players quest of winning.
Skill is in my eyes the most important part in any game, and designers base their games around engrossing the player in a game that is full of decisions, as players of games integrate their feelings and experience of the game with the decisions they are making which makes it feel more real. There are many ways in gaming to make a decision that is seen to create an aspect of skill:
- Obvious decision | A decision too easy to make (eg. pick the higher number to win a prize "1" or "2")
- Meaningless decision | When a game makes it seem a decision is important, but it doesn't matter which choice you make, you'll end up in the same place whatever option you choose.
- Blind decisions | A decision where the player has no information to make a calculated choice. (eg. roulette, it still matters what number you choose, you just don't know where it's going to land)
- Trade-off's | Happens when a player doesn't have enough resources to reach his/her goals. A game is 'balanced' where the options given seem very important, but all have equal outcomes and only bases the outcome of the decision on the players environmental and personal styles.
- Dilemma | (example Golden Balls) This gives the player a sense of danger as whatever choice you make, it will have a negative outcome.
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