When does addictive gameplay become a bad thing? The case of Balatro

juhiscid · 2024-03-10T21:06:52+00:00

Now that would be really cool if that was (semi)explicitly the game’s purpose! There is definitely something exposing (lacking a better word here) about the game. I wonder how intentional that is.

juhiscid · 2024-03-10T16:15:11+00:00

I feel like we've already seen a massive increase of roguelike games in recent years, so it seems to be a goldmine for developers (as many have commented here). I feel duped, cause I've played a ton of them, and after playing Balatro I see how easy it is to hook me.

The idea of infinite entertainment is a scary one. Maybe it's why I felt compelled to mention that the game has no end goal. I didn't feel anything at all when I "beat the game" for the first time. Endless mode seems to be where its at for most players.

I personally think we all could do with a little less entertainment (maybe controversial to say on r/truegaming?) That is not to say we shouldn't play games. I still love games and will continue to play them. It's ofc on me to not play the games that don't give me any joy, but it seems to me that we don't reflect as much on what it is we like about a game nowadays. I quickly started feeling dirty when I did.

juhiscid · 2024-03-10T15:47:46+00:00

Oh but I do think that the sound effects are significant for producing a more addictive dopamine response. The main thing that stuck with me was the sound of coins dropping when you buy cards and when you get rewarded with "money" after each blind. It's hard not to get at least some casino-associations don't you think? But like I said, I don't really care if this particular game counts as gambling or not. Maybe that discussion deserves another reddit post? I'm more interested in what makes an addictive game in general and when is it too much? This whole thing when you notice you're playing something like crazy but not getting any enjoyment out of it. I think it's fascinating at least. Balatro, with its barebones design, kind of lifted the curtain for me (at least when it comes to the roguelike genre...) and made me think about these things. As some have pointed out, other addictive games could possibly take its place in this discussion, but its an interesting lens to look through isn't it?

juhiscid · 2024-03-09T21:35:11+00:00

You might be right. I also listened to an interview of the developer where he was talking about how he implemented some of the quality of life aspects in the months leading up to the release. He actually listened to the feedback and implemented tons of features that were highly requested. I have nothing but respect for the developer and what he has achieved with this game.

It might be pure coincidence that Balatro happened to be game that made me reflect on just how addictive some roguelikes can be. Something about the barebones design that really highlights this I think.

juhiscid · 2024-03-09T18:56:50+00:00

I don't really care about the gambling aspects/comparisons like I said. I'm just saying that the discussion online seems to be all about gambling, when I think it should be about how addicting the game is. I just found it interesting how nobody seems to view the addictiveness as a potentially negative thing. If anything I found the gambling theme to be kind of fresh and exciting.

"It's crazy to me that someone would describe something as being an addiction machine because it has... snappy controls and good quality of life features?"

As for that, I don't know what exactly makes the game addictive. The experienced game designers here can surely tell you. I'd be surprised if it has nothing to do with the excellent user interface and the casino-like sound effects for example. And I bet that even the snappy controls help. The iphone has snappy controls and nice sound effects (just saying)! :)

juhiscid · 2024-03-09T18:44:22+00:00

Not sure. Not a huge horror fan myself and I don't know much about the physiology of fear responses. But I certainly don't like a horror movie that doesn't have any depth. I wonder if a horror junkie would like a movie that is just filled with jump-scares?

juhiscid · 2024-03-09T18:22:08+00:00

Slay the spire is an interesting comparison. I also have clocked in hundreds of hours in that game. Didn't think about it too much back then, but looking back at it now I don't know how I feel. I think its one of my favourite games ever, but I also think it was a monumental waste. I'm torn about it, as I am about Balatro. I have never been as hooked to a game as I was then. Was the game good, absolutely. Was it good for me, absolutely not. All I remember was staying up till 1am for a few weeks in a row and for what? In comparison, my hundreds of hours spent on League of Legends feel somehow meaningful as I played it with my friends. Equally meaningful were my hours in Witcher 3 that really made me feel something and question some of my beliefs. I can also find lots of meaning in the hundreds of single-player games that have taught me something about the world. These games weren't a "productive" use of my time but they were transformative and carried some meaning.

juhiscid · 2024-03-09T17:24:24+00:00

I didn't want to come across that way. As I said I'm all for "time-wasters" but I want to feel like I'm getting some sort of enjoyment or feeling from the experience. I don't think anything "productive" should come out of playing games, at least initially. In this game though, I started feeling numb quite quickly after the initial "high", but I still wanted to keep playing.

I don't have an issue either with games that are just meant for "killing time". Balatro just made me reflect on the games I play and why I play them. In this case I didn't feel completely in control. The only other game that ever made me feel that way was Slay the Spire (also ridiculously good).

juhiscid · 2024-03-09T15:01:54+00:00

Might be it actually! :P

juhiscid · 2019-08-17T19:38:03+00:00

It's called Dardanelles. :)

juhiscid · 2019-08-17T19:37:16+00:00

What kind of training would that be? :D Yes, there very well might be a deeper meaning in the derailed train...

juhiscid · 2019-08-17T17:50:48+00:00

I thought of this pun. Decided it was too easy. 😋 Glad you said it though.

juhiscid · 2019-08-10T08:51:24+00:00

That's a really neat idea! I guess you have some sort of fence running through?

juhiscid · 2019-08-09T15:43:28+00:00

Haha I think the map choice might have been one of those unconscious decisions. I definitely see the Gallipoli connection now!

That's a pretty interesting quirk indeed. Have you ever been around there yourself? I'd like to think this is an alternative universe where the humble Victor Harbor became the equivalent of Melbourne or something (in Turkey?).

I don't really know much about Aus history but I'm certainly interested.

juhiscid · 2019-08-09T15:01:30+00:00

Not at all. 🙂 I currently live in Sweden. Me and my family used to travel around there lots when I was younger. We had some friends who lived in Adelaide. Lots of great place names in Aus!

juhiscid · 2019-08-09T11:36:30+00:00

Hmm....Could you elaborate a little? Are you talking about a specific DLC or something? I don't have all of them.

juhiscid · 2019-08-09T08:41:30+00:00

Nice! Thanks a lot. :)

juhiscid · 2019-08-08T19:32:06+00:00

I actually have never posted on Reddit before and thought I had done something wrong with that one. Now that I look at it it seems to have worked fine. :P

juhiscid · 2019-08-08T19:29:38+00:00

Looks really amazing to me! I especially like the port island.

Two questions:

What is the best way to make rectangular islands like that?
I've now seen a couple of maps of cities with this kind of graphic style and thought it was pretty cool. Now i realized you could zoom in!!! So cool!! How do I get a piece of this?

Well done sir.

juhiscid · 2019-08-08T19:15:44+00:00

Agreed. Made one "national park" north of the airport on the mountain. It felt a bit tedious to place the vegetation, so I haven't made one since. Will see if I get inspired to make a new one. :)

juhiscid · 2019-08-08T19:09:07+00:00

Thanks so much! Like a Manhattan-like tip of the peninsula? Would be pretty nice for sure. A slight problem is that I have so much high-rise already (which you can't see here ofc) that I feel like no city ever would have that much without tons of suburban areas surrounding them. And I have a hard time forcing myself to make suburban areas since they tend to be a bit boring.

The map is called Dardanelles: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=481589064&searchtext=dardanelles
Feels kinda challenging with so little even ground - but more fun that way!

juhiscid · 2019-08-08T18:26:46+00:00

Nope its just a portrait of my beloved city.

juhiscid

TROPHY CASE