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.

Using the pattern

Can Modulate

Save Files

Can Be Instantiated By

Kingmaker, Predictable Winner, Save Points, Unwinnable Games Perfect Information

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) since players leaving are likely to disrupt Team Balance in Multiplayer Games. However, it is not necessarily a cause of Ragequitting (but the actions of another player which puts a player in an Unwinnable Game State is).

Potentially Conflicting With

Player Agency, Value of Effort Imperfect Information

Winner determined after Gameplay Ends

][Secret Scoring Mechanisms]]

Relations

Can Instantiate

Surrendering

with Multiplayer Games

Early Leaving Players

Can Modulate

Save Files

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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