True Risk or the Illusion of Risk?

AJ · 2008-11-09T19:13:06

What do you think makes better gameplay, a game world which trends toward true, naked risk with the possibility of catastrophic failure, or risk which is really the illusion of a challenge but biased toward player victory. I've been trying to find a way to improve trading and, while researching modern day commodity exchanging, ran across this interesting assertion (paraphrased): Quote: "Most people are risk averse. They don't really want to take a risk, which by its very nature means they could lose and lose big. What they want is a guaranteed outcome masked by the illusion of possible failure. This creates for them momentary excitement that dispels the boredom in their lives." Whether this is true or not I don't know, but it got me thinking about how we build games and the systems we add to them. When we talk about saving, balancing, or create system for such things as combat or trade, the psychological aspect of risk management is always a key element of the discussion. So what do you think? I thought the answer was obvious at first. After all, everything we design is essentially an illusion, but we control how drastically the system swings between success and failure. The trend in games has been a broadening of appeal and move away from "Nintendo Hard" toward more warm and fuzzy caretaking of the player's time. So is the quote essentially true? Or more importantly-- can you have aspects of a game which mix both approaches to risk-- say a game which provides combat that trends toward player victory (eg, easy enemies & assured progression) but trading that's truly risky (you could "lose your shirt"); or trade that trends toward victory (eg, always guaranteed to make a profit if you just find the right place) but combat that's truly risky (eg, you could be killed by stray gunfire from two warring ships just after first starting). Thoughts?

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Wavinator October 17, 2008 01:13 PM

39 comments, last by Cpt Mothballs 16 years, 3 months ago

Cpt Mothballs

100

November 09, 2008 07:13 PM

Risk isn't running around naked with a pencil fighting zombies at 1 HP.
It's dangerous, probably the supidest idea ever, but it's not risky in the sense that doing that, you know there's only one outcome, death.

Risk is having more than one option.

Heard the phrase "Choosing the lesser of two evils."?
That's risk, making a choice based on the perceived outcome.

Sure, the consequences are contextual, but the risk isn't in the action, but the decision.

Maybe my perception of risk is just different to everyone else's. I don't know.

True Risk or the Illusion of Risk?

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True Risk or the Illusion of Risk?

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