On the necessity of uncertainty in games

This week, I revisited one of my favorite game design books: "Uncertainty in Games" by Greg Costikyan. Costikyan is a renowned game designer, having contributed to successful RPGs such as the 1987 Star Wars, TOON, and Paranoia. I decided to reread this title due to an article on UX in gaming that I'm currently developing.

I came across a particularly interesting passage on page 16. Costikyan makes a compelling point: when we're shopping online, operating heavy machinery, or voting in elections, uncertainty and challenge are the last things we desire. In normal circumstances, we prefer simplicity, certainty, and consistency.



Indeed, those of us working in the gaming industry often hear people say they want to make their apps or websites more "game-like" or "gamified"; however, a staggering 74.3% of the time, the term "gamified" is misused 😁. Is this really the case? Costikyan offers a vivid example: imagine transforming Microsoft Word into a game. Let's say that to bold a text, you need to be a level 12 Word user. Before reaching that level, every time you attempt to bold text, the software performs a check against your level. If you fail the check, it applies a random font effect instead of bold. This wouldn't be fun; it would be frustrating.

Essentially, when designing most interactive products (software, apps, systems, etc.), eliminating uncertainty is desirable. When designing games, a degree of uncertainty is essential. This is why people who try to apply some of Jakob Nielsen's human-computer interaction ideas to games often miss the mark. Interface clarity may still be desirable, but eliminating challenges and uncertainties is not. Games should be, in some sense, "difficult to use," or at least, not trivial to win.

To further illustrate humanity's fascination with uncertainty, consider the motivations of those who engage in online gambling.

#GoGamers  

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Reference:

COSTIKYAN, Greg. Uncertainty in games. Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2013.