Debating whether a game is based on luck or skill is an exercise game critics and players often engage in.
For competitive gaming, skill-based games such as League of Legends are preferred, while games like Mario Party are decided almost entirely by the flip of a coin.
League of Legends
In reality though, almost every game includes varying degrees of both luck and skill – and this is what makes gaming fun.
Having control over the outcome of the game keeps the player invested in it, while the element of luck prevents the game from becoming predictable.
Unpredictability doesn’t necessarily have to be built into the game, as it can be determined by the choices of the players in the game.
In a very tactical FPS, randomisation can be introduced by unplanned player decisions, unforeseen crit shots, or unfortunate spawn points in online multiplayer games.
Even in Tetris, which is based almost completely on human skill, you might be waiting for an I-shaped block to fall and it never does.
Tetris
Every game must find a balance between luck and skill, but is it possible to make your own luck?
Grosvenor-sponsored poker player Jeff Kimber believes it is, arguing that luck always evens itself out, and if you’re on one side of luck, you’ll almost certainly be on the flip side soon enough.
“Luck is a psychological phenomenon open to a huge amount of influence, not to mention potential manipulation,” according to this article by Grosvenor Casinos.
“With the right knowledge and frame of mind, you can make your own luck, both in everyday life as well as in gaming.”
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