Balatro is definitely fun because of strategizing around the variance and the joy/relief that comes from using my last discard and actually drawing the one card I needed to put me over the top -- like you've described here.
But I think it's also a great game because it belongs to the meta-genre of games that take a simple concept (poker hands and playing cards) and then meticulously (and whimsically) expand on the concept until it has explored every facet of the space it resides in. VVVVVV, Baba is You, Portal (2) and also Universal Paperclips are other good examples of this kind of game. It just pleases me a lot when a game is able to develop so much design out of a simple premise.
I really can't enjoy Balatro at all, and this is a great explanation of why, to me anyway. It feels like such a thin thin layer on top of any simple solitaire gambling (slot machines, 90s video poker, etc). There is no opposition, and losing doesn't really seem like much of a setback since the game is so short before its arbitrary endpoint. Your choices are either clear (numerical superiority) or, given the information you have at the moment, undecidable -- so you may as well just do whatever feels fun, and then, as you describe, you're then subject to random reinforcement which makes you think you are on to something. I know no one really wants to talk about the line between toys and games anymore, but were one to exist, it sure would be close to it for me...
The sun rises and the sun sets: reassuring, the order of the world, a measure of certainty
Frank likes Balatro: same feeling
First time reader. Really interesting stuff!
Balatro is definitely fun because of strategizing around the variance and the joy/relief that comes from using my last discard and actually drawing the one card I needed to put me over the top -- like you've described here.
But I think it's also a great game because it belongs to the meta-genre of games that take a simple concept (poker hands and playing cards) and then meticulously (and whimsically) expand on the concept until it has explored every facet of the space it resides in. VVVVVV, Baba is You, Portal (2) and also Universal Paperclips are other good examples of this kind of game. It just pleases me a lot when a game is able to develop so much design out of a simple premise.
"we are not our reward function" damn this was so good big ups to Miles for getting me on this
I really can't enjoy Balatro at all, and this is a great explanation of why, to me anyway. It feels like such a thin thin layer on top of any simple solitaire gambling (slot machines, 90s video poker, etc). There is no opposition, and losing doesn't really seem like much of a setback since the game is so short before its arbitrary endpoint. Your choices are either clear (numerical superiority) or, given the information you have at the moment, undecidable -- so you may as well just do whatever feels fun, and then, as you describe, you're then subject to random reinforcement which makes you think you are on to something. I know no one really wants to talk about the line between toys and games anymore, but were one to exist, it sure would be close to it for me...
But it's a blockbuster hit! So what do I know.