Perfect(ly Bad) Storms

On top of my dryer dying and needing to install a new subfloor and toilet, this morning I discovered that our pipes froze and that my PSN account was hacked and had $150 charged to it, followed by buying $150 in EA Sports DLC (huh?). So why not force a blog topic out of my very long day?

I love games that involve chance. Part of it is because I like not having 100% of the game left up to my skill, but also because it's exciting to see chance work in your favor. But being the fickle thing that it is, there are also times when chance throws you on the ground and then drops a planet on you. Those times are one of the most heartbreaking parts of gaming.

Of course that's not to say that games with no random mechanics don't do the same. One thing that playing chess has taught me is that there are times when a game progresses to the point where I'm just going through the motions, knowing the game is already ended. Those times are frustrating because games of pure strategy are purely mathematical - as soon as your opponent has you on the ropes, it's up to them to make the mistake and there's little you can do about it.

Regardless, those times where everything goes wrong are so frustrating. It tilts me pretty hard, and at times I just want to throw my dice away and be done with all that nonsense. Magic really gets me mad - your entire fate is determined by the random layout of your cards. There are times when a game is decided before it starts, and no amount of personal skill can do a thing to dig you out of your grave.

Unfortunately, it's the best choice out there. I'd rather have randomness take some of my burden off of playing a flawless game than to have everything riding on whether or not I make a tiny mistake. I really hate when things cascade so far out of control and it's not due to anything I did. At the same time, with randomness there's always that small chance for things to swing back in your favor. It might be a 1% chance to succeed, but that's much better than the 0% odds given in chess!

What do you guys think? I know we all hate bad dice or card draws, but would you rather do away with it altogether, or do you like that bit of excitement gained from never knowing exactly what will happen next?


See you tomorrow!

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