The Art of Failure: Chapter 4 – How To Fail In Video Games
What paths can players follow to achieve success? What are relations between the failure and success on these paths?
Skill, chance, and labor are three basic paths the players can follow to achieve success.
Among them, skill is the most direct and persuasive. Because in skill-based games, players can directly learn from their mistakes. This concept reminds me of the statement we discussed in the first week, which is “video games are about learning”. Instead of dwelling on failure, we can use it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Therefore, we can learn to analyze our mistakes, identify areas for improvement, and adjust the strategies accordingly.
While the path of chance is a tricky one. Compared to skill-based games, in chance-based games, failing more does not guarantee a higher chance of success in the next game due to gaining experience (although probabilistically it may be the case, but there’s no direct assurance for chance).
Labor is a relatively new path compared to the aforementioned two. Generally speaking, the definition of success in this kind of game is much related to the process of making efforts to get more stuff such as seeding and harvesting. It is evident that seeding and harvesting are both easy and repetitive, which doesn’t need many to be equipped with abundant techniques or luck. Therefore, the progress that the players experience can then form a positive feedback loop, encouraging them to keep investing time and efforts on the game to increase their levels. However, regarding the definition of failure, it’s completely different from other forms of games. Because the game controls are simple, there is rarely failure/death due to gameplay, so the player’s success is more related to the time and effort invested.
Except for the failure and success relations mentioned in this chapter, do you experience other relations between failure and success?
It was my first time knowing that the developers of the previous games did not expect players to be able to pass through. From nowadays perspective, this statement means that most unprofessional players are not able to “success” in the game. Yet today many video games we play give players unlimited lives, and each death only consumes 1-2 seconds of time and returns to the previous checkpoint. This allows players to experiment and discover the secrets of the levels. Like the games LIMBO and INSIDE that I’ve played, players automatically save after completing a section of a level. As a result, written instructions seem less important, and the repeated process of experimenting, dying, and discovering provides much of the enjoyment of the game.
How to design the failure for players to get fairness in game?
“Games of chance are “fair” in that they promise all players an equal chance of winning; games of skill are “fair” in that they justly reward personal skills; games of labor are “fair” in that they promise equal outcomes according to time invested.”
The criteria for fairness that I referenced above are based on the unique characteristics of each type of game. However, as the book mentions, the gaming world is another version of reality. It’s challenging to have a one-size-fits-all definition of fairness in reality, and balancing various factors is also necessary in games.
From a labor perspective, the best fairness is when each failure after every attempt allows the player to accumulate experience. Clear feedback should be provided if the player performs the wrong task or fails to accomplish something. This helps players understand why they failed and how they can improve their strategies. Based on this, the difficulty of the challenge should progressively increase so that players can learn from their mistakes and gradually improve their skills over time. When we consider skill as well, failure should result from meaningful choices or actions taken by the player, rather than arbitrary or unfair circumstances beyond their control. In terms of equal opportunity, I believe it’s best not to have features such as paying to upgrade, buy equipment, or even cheat (“Kai Gua” in Chinese). This can create a fair environment for players, ensuring that everyone has the same chance of winning. Just like in video games such as LIMBO, players progress through challenges by gradually mastering actions like running, jumping, and grabbing. Although they may get spiked, caught by a spider, or drowned, such designs are logical and also help players understand what kind of dangers they should avoid or overcome in what ways. Sometimes, even though certain actions result in failure or don’t achieve success, they can still unlock game achievements, which is very encouraging for players.