People play games for many reasons. Some like to play their favourite titles to unwind after a busy day, whereas others enjoy the thrill that comes with competition. When we consider what makes a good game, a common theme is that it includes an element of difficulty progression.
As we get better at something, there’s the potential that it can become less engaging, or even boring, if we no longer experience a sufficient challenge from it. This is a perennial problem when it comes to games. From table classics to triple-A titles, designers and developers have, over time, come up with some intriguing or downright impressive ways to keep enterprising gamers engaged as a result.
In this blog post we’ll take a look at the various ways that games hook people in and make them more fun to play.
Ranked Gaming
There are several ways you can objectively increase the difficulty of a game. For one, if it’s a multiplayer title, the most efficient means of upping your challenge is to face off against increasingly better opponents. This can be an inexact science, but several games have come up with good ways of ensuring you will always be able to find a worthy opponent.
Chess, for example, employs the Elo Rating System that scores your proficiency in the game on a scale from 1200 to 2500+. This allows for precise measurement of your abilities, and enables you to compete against players of equal or near skill levels. This process is even automated on popular platforms such as Chess.com, the home of the online chess community. Likewise, many video games incorporate ranked match-making modes that work in a similar fashion.
Rule Variants
Another proven way of upping a game’s challenge is to incorporate variations into its existing rule-set. To understand why this works, one needs to understand how we learn. As we get better at a task, be it a motor skill like walking or a complex cerebral process such as speaking a second language, our brains are constantly looking for ways to automate our abilities, reduce cognitive load and improve efficiency.
We experience this subjectively as getting better at the task at hand, but this can lead us into a phenomenon called a skill plateau. This is where the level of increased difficulty in the thing we’re learning is insufficient to encourage our brain to begin recording new inputs. Overcoming this is essential in order to continue developing.
It is for this reason that athletes incorporate exercise variations into their routines. It is also why playing a game with even a minor difference to what we’re used to can pose a surprising new challenge. Below we’re taking a look at some great examples of basic variations in existing games that you may want to try if you’re looking for a new challenge to undertake.
No Hole Card Blackjack
Blackjack is the most popular card game in the world, where it is a firm favourite in both brick-and-mortar establishments and online platforms. Blackjack is compelling due to its relatively simple rule-set that belies surprising strategic depth. But sometimes even standard blackjack can grow tiresome if you’re overfamiliar with it.
In such instances, it may be worth trying out a popular variant known as no hole card blackjack, which – as the name suggests – removes the hole card from the equation. This variant results in a larger house edge, with the dealer only able to receive their second card once the player’s hand is already complete. This subtle shift may change the way you approach standard blackjack, as it encourages a modified approach to decision-making.
Call of Duty: Warzone
The Call of Duty franchise is arguably the most popular video game series in the world today, and for good reason. Its compelling realism and rapid gameplay has made it a firm favourite of casual and pro gamers alike.
And while there are several variants and game modes of Call of Duty to explore, if you’re a fan of the mainline series but have never taken the time to explore its battle royale spin-off, Warzone, you may be surprised at the new challenges it offers.
This is because, unlike standard Call of Duty matches which feature 6v6 or even 12v12 modes, Warzone pits you against 149 other players in a last man standing survivor format. This will test your situational awareness and provide a novel challenge if you’re only familiar with more conventional death matches.
Conclusion
So, there you have it, if you’re looking for a new gaming challenge we hope this article will help you find it!
