robert zubek / blog

Interesting post by Tadhg Kelly on the everpresence of the slot machine mechanic: http://tadhgkelly.com/post/352475659/ethical-design-are-most-social-games-just-virtual-slot

I definitely sympathize. Games of chance, when used sporadically in an existing game, can make a nice addition, a fun bonus. But when pushed front and center, they don’t stand up nearly as well. Even in Tadhg’s example, where you can stack your card deck to influence the odds – it’s still boils down to a die roll.

But one major point I’ll disagree with – Tadhg conflates slot machine and energy mechanics, as if they were two sides of the same coin. But energy itself can be used in much more interesting, more rewarding ways, than just to feed games of chance. (And by energy, let’s say more precisely: “usable resource that refills over time”. Just to make sure we’re talking about the same thing. )

In a deeper game, energy can be made more interesting. One example: Mafia Wars – you can spend energy to advance along several distinct dimensions – towards leveling up, to improve your combat, to earn money, to unlock loot needed for later on – and since all of those elements have their own consequences later on, you need to choose wisely based on what you’re trying to achieve. Second example: chips in poker – they’re a resource as well, and of course you use them to play the main game. Both are much more than slot machines – and, dare I say, strategic.

That said, energy works well when it’s not the main point of the game. It’s the limited currency that fuels and gates the other mechanics, and forces you to make interesting decisions with limited resources. But the game needs to offer interesting decisions in the first place; a slot machine does not.