tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881904549482727.post5144609222298283573..comments2024-02-07T05:10:20.774-05:00Comments on The Critical Boardgamer: How Should You Reward Success?CriticalBGamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00769912725221695423noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881904549482727.post-14155329991343823332015-04-08T06:38:10.887-04:002015-04-08T06:38:10.887-04:00As with your excellent article on player eliminati...As with your excellent article on player elimination being one possible result of self-increasing limitation of actions, a "classic" reward may increase the players abilities to gain more rewards. Both are the results of positive feedback loops that 'topple' the game over.<br />A game based on negative feedback loops on the other hand tend to be boring for some, because it may feel "artifically" balanced.<br /><br />It's an interesting aspect of games that, if they are *too* realistic on this level, they cease to be fun, at least for most of the players. Monopoly started as "The Landlord's Game" as a didactic game for raising awareness of no-fun-positive feedback loops in real life, but players getting this wouldn't want to play that game any more - as it was intended. Somehow, Monopoly was able to capitalize on this broken game mechanic of a positive feedback loop by emphasing luck, some modest strategic elements. Euro-games, maybe because of a different socio-cultural background than US-games, try to counter this, without giving up on competition and limited ressources, with differing success.<br /><br />Maybe an analysis of how cultural "games" with positive feedback loops, systems that reward rewards with more rewards, that are nonetheless kept functional in our culture(s) would help?<br /><br />I think the game-design-problem of balancing reward, agency, competition/collaboration, replayability and feedback loops on the one hand with cultural narratives and ethical/personal guidelines on the other hand is one of the most interesting and culturally important one a 'scientific' game designer can tackle. <br />But I start to rant...<br />Great blog with good questions!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881904549482727.post-40280280149265936272013-03-16T17:16:17.109-04:002013-03-16T17:16:17.109-04:00I've only played about ten games of Acquire an...I've only played about ten games of Acquire and have yet to see anyone (all new to it like me) get stuck as you describe. However, I see how it could happen. The three-stock-per-turn cap helps prevent the rich from out-spending the rest, but that feels artificial. <br />I'm on the fence about Power Grid's system where last in turn goes first in bidding. It helps to think of turn order as a resource (this from a Ludology listener). <br />So long as the mechanism fits the theme, I accept it. hippocrat17noreply@blogger.com