For this week’s critical play, I played WSOP (World Series of Poker) Poker: Texas Holdem Game, which is a gambling game made by Playtika and available on the App Store and Google Play.
I have never been a big fan of gambling games, so I don’t know much about poker; I had to keep a picture of the hands up on my laptop while I played on my phone. Poker is a game of chance and skill, which gives the player the idea that they can control the outcome of the game. In WSOP Poker, this illusion, combined with variable rewards and occasional wins, can lead to gambling behavior. Comparing poker to a different game of chance, Play Nine, will show that poker’s mechanics make it easy to get addicted.
One of the key addictive elements of poker is the illusion of control. Players often believe their skill can significantly influence the game’s outcome. While skill is important, the randomness of the dealt cards ensures that chance remains a significant factor. This relationship between skill and chance creates a dynamic where players attribute their wins to skill and their losses to bad luck. This can be more specific, like believing you are only lucky with particular versions of the game (for example, a friend of mine swears he only does well in poker games with a >$100 buy-in). As noted in “Designing Chance,” players often believe that they can develop a winning strategy despite the inherent randomness.
WSOP Poker’s reward system is another aspect that feeds into addiction. The game offers intermittent rewards, like jackpot cards, where wins are unpredictable and vary in size. This reward system is addictive, keeping players engaged and hopeful for the next big win. I won a jackpot and decided that one big win was enough for me, but many players may continue with the belief that they will win even more. This mechanism is similar to what is used in the slot machines described in “Designing Chance”, where the randomness of winning creates a strong incentive to continue playing.
Beyond that, the emotional highs from these poker wins can be intense, leading players to chase that feeling by continuing to play, even when they are losing money overall. The game, being online with the code inaccessible, may manufacture these occasional wins to keep players engaged and encourage them to spend real money or excessive time on the game.
Play Nine is a family-friendly card game, also called “Golf the Card Game”, that I used to play with my friends at in my hometown. The goal is to get the lowest score by matching the top and bottom cards of each column in a 2 x 4 card setup (making 0), drawing and discarding cards each round to get there. All but two cards are face down, and you can choose to flip a card or switch a card after drawing. Any cards not matched at the end are their number value.
Both games involve skill and chance, but the balance between them is different. Play Nine allows players to have more information about their hand, affect the outcome of the game by changing their hand, and affect the success of other players by choosing what to discard. Poker is more focused on the ability to read other players, bluff, and know when to fold, check, or raise based on that. In both, the random nature of the cards plays a role, but it plays a larger role in poker where your hand is set.
In addition, Play Nine is more casual than poker is, since it was designed to be lighthearted. There are rarely big wins, and no “jackpots” to be concerned about when playing. The intensity required for high-stakes poker can be stressful, but it is another aspect that makes poker addictive. Players may feel a rush on a big win (even I got excited when I got the jackpot in my game), and want that feeling again.
The balance between skill and chance in WSOP Poker is a critical design element that makes the game engaging and potentially addictive. Anthony’s lecture on balance emphasized the importance of creating a fair and challenging game environment. In WSOP Poker, this balance is skewed by players’ perceptions, making the game feel more controllable than it actually is.
To mitigate the risk of addiction, WSOP Poker could incorporate features that promote responsible gambling. For example, implementing time limits, providing clear information about the odds, and offering tools for self-exclusion could help players manage their gambling habits. Game designers should also be aware of the psychological effects of variable rewards and social dynamics, ensuring that these elements do not exploit players’ vulnerabilities.
