Game design involves balancing novelty and predictability to keep players interested and engaged, while still giving them the means of learning the skills needed to win, whatever form that might take. Randomness, or the illusion of it, has long been a part of the scene, and we’re arguably at a point where RNG has a bigger role than ever before, with the rise of loot boxes and roguelikes. So, what is it that makes chance integral to gaming, and how is it applied in different contexts?
Energizing Reward Loops
Players only stick with games if their persistence is regularly rewarded, and that cycle is known as the reward loop, for obvious reasons. The simplest example of this is getting an item for killing an enemy in an RPG franchise like Zelda.
If the reward is always the same, the loop gets stale quickly, but if the outcome can differ, there’s a reason for players to keep grinding. It’s why MMORPGs have legendary loot drops attached to high-level enemies and areas.
Likewise, this reward loop underpins other game genres and categories, such as the slots at Impressario Casino. Each spin has an RNG-determined outcome, with the small chance of a jackpot attached, much like a boss dropping a rare weapon in World of Warcraft. Our brains love this unpredictability, and reward us just for anticipating a lucky outcome, whether or not it actually happens.
Enabling Uniqueness
As mentioned, roguelikes have become hugely popular in recent years, with everything from Spelunky to Hades finding huge audiences. While these games are based on repetition and permadeath, the element of chance and randomness incentivizes repeat runs.
From a player perspective, the uniqueness of item drops and level layouts achieved via RNG means that there’s no one ‘ideal’ build. Instead, the impetus is to adapt and work with what you’re given. That adaptability is satisfying, and while there’s a challenge in balancing the luck required to make progress, for a certain type of audience, it’s mana from heaven.
Ramping Up Replayability
Ultimately, chance in gaming is a means of making titles more replayable, without necessarily involving ongoing effort from the developer. If every playthrough is distinct and different, thanks to a healthy dose of RNG, then people will fire up the game over and over again.
The alternative is to make games so large and labyrinthine that there’s innate replayability from the sheer scale, which is something that the likes of Hollow Knight and Elden Ring aim for. However, not every studio can work at this scope, and not every player wants an epic, never-ending quest. So, aiming for replayability and shorter runs makes sense.
As mentioned at the start, there’s still a balance to strike between a game being driven purely by chance, making it feel unfair and entirely devoid of player agency, or making it too predictable and thus straightforwardly bland. Not every game gets this right, but those that do are among the most popular on the planet, so it’s an aspect worth investing development time into.
