Difference between revisions of "Uncertainty of Outcome"

Revision as of 10:24, 15 January 2015

The characteristic of a game that it is difficult to reliably determine what the final outcome of a game instance will be before gameplay begins.

A central part of gameplay experiences is that players do not know what the final outcome will be; this is what lets players feel that they have a possibility to affect the outcome or let them pick an outcome that wish will occur. Having an Uncertainty of Outcome each time the game is played is the requirement for this.

Examples

Gambling Games, for example Blackjack, Guts, Roulette, and Texas Hold'em, rely on heavily on uncertainty that comes from a combination of randomness and unpredictability of what other players will do. They share the latter with perfect information games such as Chess and Go but here the unpredictability of other players depend on the difficulty of being able to calculate the full consequences of the actions possible.

Sports such as Bowling, Figure Skating, and Soccer, have Uncertainty of Outcome because players can perform actions with varying levels of success. This is also found in computer-based Real-Time Games, e.g. Counter-Strike series, League of Legends, and Pong.

Using the pattern

Uncertainty of Outcome is very often a design goal in games since it provides a basic Tension to gameplay. Being more a consequence of more specific rule design than a characteristics directly appearing through rules, it is typically made present in a game through specific subpatterns. Third main sources for Uncertainty of Outcome can be pointed out. First, uncertainty can simply come from Randomness. Second, the complexity of the game state or game system can give players Solution Uncertainty. Thirdly, uncertainty can come from the players themselves or other Agents in a game through Performance Uncertainty, Player Unpredictability, or Unpredictable Behavior.

Consequences

Uncertainty of Outcome typically adds Tension to games, and in many cases provide Replayability as well. It works directly against Dominant Strategy and through this also against a Predictable Winner. It can make players with Game Mastery be less likely to win but still let them have an advantage based upon their expertise.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Replayability, Tension

Can Modulate

Game Mastery

Can Be Instantiated By

Performance Uncertainty, Player Unpredictability, Randomness, Solution Uncertainty, Unpredictable Behavior

Can Be Modulated By

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Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Dominant Strategy, Predictable Winner

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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