Are you certain, Mr. Game and Watch?

In a much earlier post I pondered a game I would make that would fully exploit the immense amount of fun generated by uncertainty. Perhaps I left the impression that I think that the mix of uncertainty should be too far bent over towards complete random anarchy and chaos. In fact, most of the games I enjoy have a lot of elements which are quite certain. And I think that the vast majority of gamers hold the same idea. Uncertainty is important and useful for creating enjoyment. However, if used in a framework of anarchy, it clearly wouldn't sell that well. Or would it? Hmm...

Dungeons and Dragons is a good non-video game example of a highly uncertain game that actually sold quite well. All the combat, all the movement, all of almost everything relies on the roll of the infamous 20-sided die. The quests are all designed on the spot by the dungeon master, and tasks are completely reliant on the outcome of the throw. By this complete immersion in uncertainty, it should've completely turned to madness, but actually went on to create a dedicated subculture of elves and warriors.

There are also the old skool Game and Watch games. They seem to be fairly structured, then you realise how completely random the gameplay was. Green House involved you trying to kill the bugs trying to eat your precious plants. However, as you played more and more, you realise the bugs aren't in any sort of pattern, but are appearing and moving completely at random. And it was the Game and Watch games that essentially sustained the industry til the NES came out and saved the industry from going under.

Even the Final Fantasy games have a heavy dose of randomness. Random battles. Random item finds. Fairly random attack damage. Random odds of attacks missing and hitting. Random chance for a super critical hit. The only thing not random about the series is its sales, which are consistently excellent for each title.

Of course, all of this uncertainty is contained in a stable and structured framework. Dungeons and Dragons has a list of extensive rules on attacking and defending, which are always consistent. The Game and Watch games have the guarantee that the buttons you press do exactly what they're meant to every time, eg. you are guaranteed that left will move you left, spraying a bug will kill it, bouncing a patient will save them, and so on. Final Fantasy has a well-structured narrative and fluid combat system.

So as long as there's a solid level of guarantee in a game, either generated by rules, controls or narrative, developers have been mainly free to inject whatever level of uncertainty they feel is useful. And it seems to have had a positive effect on sales. Noted and accepted.