Overview
For this critical play, I decided to try out Blackjack, the classic casino card game that’s all about getting as close to 21 as possible without going over. It’s one of those games that you see everywhere but dont know the name of. Blackjack actually traces its roots back to early 17th-century Spain and France. The legal age to play Blackjack in the casino is 21+, but there are many variations where you are not actually gambling and can be played by everyone. The rules are pretty straightforward. You’re dealt two cards, you can hit to get more or deny it, and the goal is to beat the dealer without losing your cards. Blackjack is super easy to pick up, which is probably why it appeals to so many people, from total beginners to serious gamblers. But after playing, I realized how much of the game is actually just luck dressed up as strategy, and how that mix can pull people in deeper than they expect.
Experience
Playing Blackjack was both exhilarating and honestly kind of terrifying at the same time. I wasn’t playing with real money, but I still felt hurt every time I lost my “earnings.” The game moves fast. You deal, hit, stand, repeat, and each round could lead the best redemption ever or actual disaster. I genuinely think this game is almost entirely based on luck, and even though people talk about “strategy,” there’s only so much you can do when the next card is a total mystery. For me, I just had to figure out when it was safe enough to stay in and when to bail, but most of the time, it felt like I was just guessing.
What really surprised me was how quickly I started chasing my losses. After a couple of bad rounds, I’d tell myself, “Just one more round, you’ll win it back.” Even though I wasn’t losing real money, I could feel how easy it would be to get sucked in. The highs of a win were super satisfying, but the lows made me want to keep playing just to get back what I had lost. After a while, I had to force myself to stop, which really made me see how people could get addicted to this game.
Mechanics & Feedback
The mechanics of Blackjack are deceptively simple. You make choices, but at the end of the day, you still have no control of the next random card. The game gives you the illusion of control, but the outcome is still mostly chance. This is what makes Blackjack so addictive. You feel like you’re making the right moves, but the randomness keeps you coming back for more, hoping the next round will be the lucky one
From a game design perspective, the feedback loop is intense. Winning a hand feels like proof that your decisions matter, while losing makes you want to try again, convinced your luck will turn around. Losing by just one card or watching the dealer barely beat you makes it feel like you almost had it, which just hooks you in deeper. I was playing with a real dealer in front of me so I felt as though, so tensions were extra high. The game’s architecture is structured in a way where a player could go and play forever. As soon as one round ends, another begins, and there’s no clear stopping point. This endless loop is part of what makes the game risky for addiction.
Compared to other games that use chance, like slots or poker, Blackjack stands out because it gives you the feeling that you have some control, even though the odds are still stacked against you. Slots are pure luck, and poker is more about skill and reading other players, but Blackjack sits right in the middle. It feels fair, but it’s actually very deceptive.
When it comes to the MDA framework, Blackjack’s mechanics (the rules and card draws), dynamics (the tension of each decision), and aesthetics (the thrill of the win, the agony of a loss) all work together to create an experience that’s both exciting and risky. The randomness isn’t just a background feature. It’s the main event, and it’s what keeps players coming back, chasing that next win.
Analysis
So, when is it okay to use chance in a game, and when does it cross the line? I think it depends on how the randomness is used and what the game is trying to achieve. In games where chance adds excitement or keeps things fresh, it’s usually fine. But in games like Blackjack, where randomness is used to keep people playing (and losing), it gets a lot more questionable.
Blackjack and other gambling games are designed to be addictive. They use randomness, near-misses, and the illusion of control to keep players hooked, even when the odds are against them.
Morally, it’s a problem when games use chance to manipulate players into spending more time or money than they intended, especially when the odds and risks aren’t clear. It’s one thing to use randomness for fun or fairness, but it’s another to use it as a trap. Game designers have a responsibility to be transparent about the odds and to avoid mechanics that exploit players’ psychology just for profit. In my opinion, it’s only okay to use chance in games when it adds to the fun without taking advantage of players or putting them at risk for addiction.
