The Balance Imbalance

When in doubt, push the fun

Balance is something you hear about all the time regarding the quality of a game. People will say something like, “This game is broken,” as a way of criticizing the game when they feel one player or strategy dominates. Balance, however, is almost always misunderstood when it comes to game design—so let’s dig in!

What does Balance mean in regards to Game Design?

A balanced game ensures that no single strategy is so overpowering that it cannot be countered by another strategy. For novice designers, the mistake lies in attempting to make everything perfectly equal. Your development objective is not to make all components, cards, or strategies equally potent. Part of the enjoyment of playing a game comes from discovering more potent strategies as you become familiar with the game. If none were more powerful, the game would become boring. On the other hand, if one strategy is excessively dominant and stifles the exploration process, it quickly becomes tedious.

Tic tac toe, for example, is fun…