In the Balance: Towards a Taxonomy of Game Balance
Figure: a word cloud of players’ perception towards an unbalanced game.
Summary
Game balance is a critical yet complex aspect of game design, often debated by both academics and players. Despite its importance in player engagement and game longevity, there is no singular definition of balance, and perspectives vary widely across research, industry, and player communities. This research addresses the inconsistencies in existing definitions by analyzing 93 academic sources and surveying player opinions to develop a unified taxonomy of game balance. The study identifies ten key categories of balance, examines their relationship to player experience, and provides design recommendations to help developers effectively target and evaluate balance in their games.
Role
UX Research, Project Management
Methods
Literature Review, Surveys, Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis, Data Visualization
Tools
Docs, Excel, Sheets, Qualtrics
Type
Research paper for ALT Games Lab at UC Santa Cruz
Team
Samuel Shields, Sungyeon Yoon
Timeline
January 2024 - February 2025
Problem
We aim to understand the unclear, varied definitions of game balance that challenge developers in creating consistently engaging experiences.
Approach
1. Literature Review
Conducted an extensive review of existing academic papers on game balance, analyzing 100+ publications to gather varying definitions and frameworks for balance.
2. Taxonomy Development
Synthesized findings into a taxonomy that categorizes game balance into ten unique dimensions, providing a structured framework for the concept.
3. Survey
Designed and distributed a survey to gather player perspectives on game balance, focusing on their definitions, perceptions, and emotional responses to imbalance in games.
4. Iteration and Analysis
Collected and analyzed 40+ players responses to identify trends and understand how player definitions of balance compare to academic perspectives.
Outcome
Overall, our research establishes a clear taxonomy of game balance, unifying definitions from academic and player perspectives and serves as a guideline for the lab’s development of an automated brawler game, ensuring balanced mechanics and an engaging player experience.
Key Takeaways
Unified Taxonomy of Game Balance
Created a taxonomy with ten distinct dimensions of game balance, addressing both academic and player perspectives, which provides a cohesive framework for understanding balance.
Academic vs. Non-Academic Perspectives
Identified areas where player expectations align with or differ from academic views, especially regarding difficulty, variability, and aesthetics, giving insights into where developer focus may need adjustment.
Practical Design Recommendations
Developed actionable guidelines for game designers, helping them prioritize balance dimensions according to player expectations and improve engagement across various game genres.
Reflections
Key Insights
Bridging academic theories with player perspectives adds practical value, highlighting the importance of aligning design practices with real-world player expectations.
Challenges
Synthesizing diverse definitions of game balance across academic sources and player feedback was challenging due to the subjective, multifaceted nature of balance.
The survey’s limited sample size and demographic scope may affect the generalizability of findings, suggesting that future studies could benefit from a larger, more diverse participant pool.
Limitations
The survey’s limited sample size and demographic scope may affect the generalizability of findings, suggesting that future studies could benefit from a larger, more diverse participant pool.
The evolving nature of game balance indicates that the taxonomy may need ongoing adaptation to stay relevant with industry advancements.
For Future Implications…
Proposed areas for further study to refine the taxonomy and enhance understanding of balance in emerging gaming contexts, supporting both research and practical applications.
As gaming genres and technologies evolve, this taxonomy could become a standard in game design education and practice, highlighting the value of inclusive, player-focused research to enrich game development.