The Two Types of Random in Game Design

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From critical hits to random encounters, and from loot boxes to procedural generation, video games are stuffed to bursting with randomness. In this episode, I look at the way randomness is used in games - and why some forms are more contentious than others.

=== Sources and Resources ===

Sources

Uncapped Look-Ahead and the Information Horizon | Keith Burgun
keithburgun.net/uncapped-look-ahead-and-the-inform…

A Study in Transparency: How Board Games Matter | GDC Vault
www.gdcvault.com/play/1020408/A-Study-in-Transpare…

GameTek Classic 183 - Input Output Randomness | Ludology
www.dicetower.com/game-podcast/ludology/gametek-cl…

Why revealing all is the secret of Slay The Spire's success | Rock Paper Shotgun
www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/02/19/why-revealing-…

Crate | Spelunky Wiki
spelunky.fandom.com/wiki/Crate

Random Generator | Tetris Wiki
tetris.fandom.com/wiki/Random_Generator

Level Feeling | Spelunky Wiki
spelunky.fandom.com/wiki/Level_Feeling/HD

Plan Disruption | Etan Hoeppner
ethanhoeppner.github.io/gamedesign/plan-disruption…

Fire Emblem True Hit | Serenes Forest
serenesforest.net/general/true-hit/

The Psychology of Game Design (Everything You Know Is Wrong) | GDC Vault
www.gdcvault.com/play/1012186/The-Psychology-of-Ga…

How Designers Engineer Luck Into Video Games | Nautilus
nautil.us/issue/70/variables/how-designers-enginee…

Roll for your life: Making randomness transparent in Tharsis | Gamasutra
www.gamasutra.com/view/news/263953/Roll_for_your_l…

12: Into the Breach with Justin Ma | The Spelunky Showlike
thespelunkyshowlike.libsyn.com/12-into-the-breach-…

Additional resources

Many faces of Procedural Generation: Determinism | Gamsutra
www.gamasutra.com/blogs/FranciscoRA/20160511/27241…

Why Our Brains Do Not Intuitively Grasp Probabilities | Scientific American
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-our-brains-…

How classic games make smart use of random number generation | Gamasutra
www.gamasutra.com/view/news/320213/How_classic_gam…

=== Chapters ===

00:00 - Intro
01:28 - Why we use randomness
03:42 - The information horizon
06:06 - The two types of randomness
08:59 - How input randomness can fail
13:32 - The advantages of output randomness
17:50 - Conclusion

=== Games Shown ===

Cuphead (2017)
Enter the Gungeon (2016)
Octopath Traveler (2018)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017)
Griftlands (2021)
Dicey Dungeons (2019)
Hearthstone (2014)
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (2014)
Darkest Dungeon (2016)
Dead Cells (2018)
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech (2019)
Into the Breach (2018)
Spelunky (2012)
Armello (2015)
Minecraft (2011)
Chasm (2018)
Downwell (2015)
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014)
No Man's Sky (2016)
Celeste (2018)
Fortnite (2017)
Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014)
Tekken 7 (2015)
Super Mario Party (2018)
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (2019)
Borderlands 3 (2019)
Call of Duty: WWII (2017)
Valkyria Chronicles 4 (2018)
Civilization V (2010)
Wargroove (2019)
Plants vs. Zombies (2009)
XCOM: Enemy Within (2013)
Chess Ultra (2017)
Mark of the Ninja (2012)
StarCraft II (2010)
Slay the Spire (2019)
Apex Legends (2019)
Civilization IV (2005)
XCOM 2 (2016)
Overwatch (2016)
FTL: Faster Than Light (2012)
Card of Darkness (2019)
Diablo III (2012)
Tetris 99 (2019)
Puyo Puyo Tetris (2017)
Phoenix Point (2019)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019)
Tharsis (2016)

=== Credits ===

Music from Cuphead OST, by Kristofer Maddigan (studiomdhr.bandcamp.com/releases)

Music from Tharsis OST, Half Age EP, by Weval (atomnation.bandcamp.com/album/half-age-ep)

RNGesus original artwork by Dinsdale - twitter.com/dinsdale1978

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Deadpool 2 © 20th Century Fox

Pandemic Card Art © Z-Man Games

=== Subtitles ===

Contribute translated subtitles - amara.org/en-gb/videos/C3IIn1JRUBXt/