Luck in games
When I personally design games I usually try and stay as far away from luck as possible.
Luck is basically the opposite of skill, since it’s something you don’t have control over. For me, that’s the opposite of what the player wants to do. He wants to perform, to affect the outcome of the game, right?
But yes, I can’t deny that luck can be very efficient in game design as well, even if I’m not personally a fan. Like when picking up a Power Up and you don’t know what you’re gonna get.
For me, a rule of thumb when it comes to implementing luck into a game is to figure out where it lies in the scale from “just for fun” and “hardcore competition”.
If the game is used for competing with other players and perhaps even just with bots, luck shouldn’t be a big factor. Imagine playing Quake online and once you have the aim on an opponent and press Fire, a slot machine appears on screen. If you get three of the same icon in a row, he dies, if not, he is unaffected. That’s not really a way to excel.
But when it comes to games that you play “just for fun” (one could argue that’s the reason we play any game but think of it more as a play than a game) even if they are competitive, like Mario Kart with friends, luck can be great.
You never know what Power Up you’re gonna get but that’s just a part of the thrill.
I’m gonna tell you a little story about my time at GRIN and the power of luck.
At GRIN, we were a group of people that usually played LAN during lunch breaks and other spare time. We played GRID, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, some were playing Company of Heroes and there was some Battlefield 2 going on. But all the games had a lifespan of a couple of weeks, because after a while it was clear who was the better player and people started having less fun because they never won.
Then, brilliant as I am, I suggested we played Worms Armageddon.
A group of seven people, including me, started playing Worms Armageddon via LAN everyday. To make a long story short, we ended up playing 2-7 matches per day for about half a year. The only reason we stopped playing it was because… Well, our office was shut down. (I hope they’re unrelated…)
What was so amazing with Worms was the tremendous amount of luck and dumb fun involved. You never knew what kind of weapons you’d get your hands on, so even the “worst” gamer could get his hand on a Holy Hand grenade and wipe out an entire team.
The key here is that we never knew who would win the game. And everybody won now and again, even our sound guy Anders… If you’re reading this (I don’t think he is), I’m sorry.
Because of this, we could keep on playing. The game just never stopped being fun.
Skill mattered, but luck triumphed. We were just playing for fun.
If I have to reach a conclusion at the end of this post, I suppose it is that you should think long and hard about what the effect of having luck in your game will be and that it’s a two-edged sword.
And don’t drink and drive!
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September 12th, 2009 - 14:42
Hehe, I remember you guys playing and laughing for a good hour every lunch break. But I never joined in, not even once.
I guess I am not interested in the game due to several reasons. I am not a big fan of the small-creatures-luck-no-control genre. I am actually a bit scared of it. I don’t mind people can win due to luck, but I don’t want the game to be total random or too much luck. I am scared of not having control. I can only watch my worms die while I am waiting for my turn.
Worms is not my type of game. But I am fine with a game being a bit random, but not this much.
September 12th, 2009 - 15:11
@David Lundvall
What you’re describing about feeling you’re not in control is exactly why I try and stay away from luck.
But then again, luck and randomness whas what made the game fun for so long. We were just “playing for fun”. It would never work out for competetive e-sport.
September 12th, 2009 - 19:23
In my opinion luck is not an element that one should avoid. Most card games have a healthy amount of Luck in them. Think about Poker. Introducing an unknown element, luck and indirect information gives the players a lot to think about.
Most D&D role-playing games have luck as a factor also.
September 13th, 2009 - 00:57
Regarding Mario Kart, when I play that game with friends (or anything similar one) I always get frustrated when a friend of mine wins because of luck. And I don’t enjoy the win if I won because of luck. It just removes the entire competition aspect for me, like it didn’t matter what I did. The result would have been the same anyways.
Overall I agree with you Arcade. Luck is a factor that should be used only under certain circumstances. Luck SHOULD be avoided in games like Quake. But as Arshak said, some of the worlds most popular games is basically based on luck. But that doesn’t mean that “luck is good” in general. I don’t think it should be forced into a game due to lack of ideas from designers or because it’s an easy solution.
September 13th, 2009 - 01:12
Every game has luck, and none. Luck doesn’t exist, only random numbers. Which applies equally to real-life as to games.
Can’t agree D&D games have luck involved, althought the game mechanic is in a higher extend depending on random numbers than for example action games. Weapon damage, chance to hit and so forth is all based on dice-rolls.
If you refer to luck as a “randomness that seriously can impact the outcome of your game”, those in Baldurs Gate 2 for example, are the only real flaws of the game. And they are so serious one might consider killing their game designers just for retribution.
September 13th, 2009 - 01:15
@Håkan
Well, true. “Luck” doesn’t exist in a philosophical way, nor does anything happen by “random”. But of course we’re talking from the eye of the beholder here.
September 13th, 2009 - 12:13
No I was just establishing the difference between rand() and the type of luck you were referring to=)
But it’s a good point still. Baldurs Gate is a game with little to no luck.
While in Diablo, both enemy-spawns and the loot they drop is a case of “luck”. So luck is a factor that can give purpose to a game. Just as well as a good story can give purpose, or playing just to gain xp, or even re-playing a a sequence merely for the challenge.
September 13th, 2009 - 12:18
@Håkan
True. “Luck” does keep things interesting and fresh and I can’t deny the success of that devil-game you’re talking about. And the fact that you can’t “beat” the system.
September 15th, 2009 - 14:10
Luck can have another, very important function: Pacing. I was working on a tabletop strategy game (squad-level combat), and in the early incarnations there was no significant chance element. A particular weapon did a set amount of damage every time it was used, for example.
What I found was that the game was reduced to something along the pace of untimed chess… when the game was supposed to be about running around and blowing stuff up. So I changed the mechanics a little to include dice rolls, and all of a sudden people were being reckless and brave and, generally, enjoying themselves far more.
Uncertainty (via chance) didn’t negate good planning and strategy, but it sure did enhance the feel.
September 15th, 2009 - 16:28
@Mike C
Interesting, that’s a very good point!
Knowing you can’t plan and/or control everything and that you’ll have to rely on “luck” in some cases would definitely affect the pacing.
Thanks for commenting.