Any game in which chance plays not a part but the whole, is no game at all.
There is a certain pool of games that heavily dips into random events to create unpredictability (to a lesser degree) and extend playable hours (to a greater degree.) All of these games share a number of characteristics when applying this mechanic; some of those characteristics are:
- The game gives random rewards for completing a series of actions (which might be a challenge, part of a challenge, or a non-challenging series.)
- These rewards change in both type, usefulness and value.
- For each particular action, or series of actions, there is a number of rewards that might be given; each of these has a difference chance of being given which depends on rarity and, usually, usefulness.
- The game utilizes other elements to encourage obtaining the *best* rewards through repetition but does not guarantee the attainment of those rewards (due to their random nature.)
If you have played a MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Game), especially those of the RPG genre, you have run into this feature already. Of course, those games do not hold a monopoly over this mechanic: hack and slash games (closely resembling the now mythic Diablo), single players RPGs (like Final Fantasy XII) and even first person shooters (such as Team Fortress 2) have also tried their luck with this mechanic.
People love this. I’ve loved it too at times; times when I was so enthralled by the premise of better, rarer and more exclusive rewards. Regardless of our fondness for it (which is very important, nonetheless) we must address the fact that, for anyone wishing to play a game, these mechanics are simply a waste of time. We are simply not active participants on the mathematics formulae that goes behind the scene and even in particularly twisted scenarios that have us plunge into the depths of repetition to find an item that will help us increase our chances of getting other items, we are still going through the inane (and time consuming) process of rolling dice until hitting a golden number. While the circumstances by which we get to this item might be challenging in of themselves (beating a boss, winning a race and so on), getting the item itself is not in any way a challenge or a game.
Why are we making games like this? Perhaps because they sell well, because people find these very offenders entertaining and love to sink hours upon hours of their time in mind numbing repetition. The question then is, why do we like doing this? Are we making choices or responding to a semi-conscious desire for things to be new and surprising (or rather, the idea that they might be new and surprising?) Even in the face of pleasure (or, what seems more likely, guilt) I wonder if we don’t owe it to ourselves to use our time differently.
