The invisible hand of game psychology
Secrets of the virtual architect
The math of fun and balance
The evolution of touch and play
The symphony of interactive sound
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret language of game design
sonia Game developers alter random number generation algorithms to satisfy human psychology.
sonia Managing virtual resources prevents players from becoming too powerful too quickly.
sonia Randomness adds excitement, but designers often cheat the math in the player's favor to keep it fun.
sonia Swap out broken mechanics to discover how pivoting turns bad ideas into great games.
Hidden math: Many games secretly boost your attack power when your health is extremely low to create dramatic, near-death victories.
A state of equilibrium or equal distribution of weight, amount, or force. In 2008, author Jesse Schell identified twelve distinct types of this concept, ranging from fairness to rewards.
What is the term for a mechanic designed to remove excess currency from a game's economy?
In the 2015 game Dead by Daylight, how do designers balance the asymmetrical matchup?
Why do designers sometimes make a "95% hit chance" actually function as a 99% hit chance?
What three-way hand game is the foundation for balancing character classes in strategy games?
What 1998 sci-fi strategy game is famous for its perfectly balanced, asymmetrical factions (Terran, Zerg, Protoss)?