Random number generators have a major part to play in the world of gaming. They’re used in multiple ways, to provide a fun and exciting experience for players across the world. RNG makes games unpredictable.
Why is Unpredictability Fun?
The exact placement of where enemies spawn in a room might be mildly inconvenient, but a boss randomising their attacks would prove to be disastrous. In short, without random number generators, games would be predictable and boring, but by including them, it’s possible to complete the same game over and over again whilst getting a different experience each time.
Unpredictability is fun. It’s easy to see, because with unpredictability, comes a rollercoaster of emotions. From highs to lows and everything in between, it helps to add a new dynamic to gaming. A prime example of this would be roulette. The numbers on a roulette wheel are generated via an RNG, and this ensures that every time, the same numbers have the chance of appearing. The game comes purely down to luck, which makes for a unique experience. As a player, you might be able to find historical information that highlights hot or cold numbers, but there’s no chance that this streak will continue.
Another example would be with loot chests in games. If you open a loot chest on one save, the next time you load up the game, you can’t guarantee you’re going to get the same item. Sometimes players save, then reload their game, and re-open the same chest over and over again until they get the item they want. With that being said, there’s no way of predicting what the item is going to be. Although item rarity can come into the equation, the overall seed number used to dictate the chest reward is purely random.
Combat and Fighting Systems
Have you ever had a character in a game that’s just…bad? It doesn’t matter who you go up against because you just can’t seem to come out with a win. Why does this happen? Because of RNGs. No matter how much you train, there is always going to be another character who is better than you. This power creep helps to make games exciting, as the power of your character will always be determined by an RNG. One time you may do 50 hit points of damage, and the next only 25. RNG can also dictate when a hit is critical.
RNGs are also evident in map creation. When generating map seeds, RNG is used to come up with a number in which the entire map is found. Cliffs, rivers, ravines and forests can be spawned so that they look natural in the given world, purely because it’s random. If a developer had to place individual trees in a game, you’d start to see patterns which would pull away from the general realism of the game.
RNG helps to eliminate this, by ensuring that worlds are generated differently each time the game is loaded, providing players with an exciting landscape that encourages exploration.