Unwinnable Game States
Game states from which no actions or events in a game instance can let a player win.
By gaming, people try to affect a game state through gameplay actions to reach some goal. Players have Unwinnable Game States when there exists goals which lets players win a game but there are not combinations of actions or events that make this possible.
TV Tropes has a wiki page for a similar concept, Unwinnable.
Contents
Examples
Using the pattern
Can Modulate
Can Be Instantiated By
Kingmaker, Predictable Winner, Save Points, Unwinnable Games Perfect Information
Diegetic Aspects
Interface Aspects
Narration Aspects
Consequences
Unwinnable Game States, or game states that are perceived to be unwinnable can lead to Surrendering and Early Leaving Players in Multiplayer Games. This may be bad if a game isn't design to support this (e.g. through Possibility of Graceful Surrender).
Potentially Conflicting With
Player Agency, Value of Effort Imperfect Information
Multiplayer Games Team Balance
Relations
Can Instantiate
Early Leaving Players, Surrendering
Can Modulate
Can Be Instantiated By
Kingmaker, Perfect Information, Predictable Winner, Save Points, Unwinnable Games
Can Be Modulated By
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Possible Closure Effects
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Potentially Conflicting With
Imperfect Information, Player Agency, Value of Effort
History
New pattern created in this wiki.
References
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Acknowledgements
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