How Much Skill Do Games Require?

The question of the day is the following: How much skill do games require? Truth be told, it depends on the nature of the game. There are effectively three types of games in the world, regardless of the countless categories that exist. These include skill games, hybrid games, and games of chance. By definition, each eponymous category explains the degree of skill required to master the objectives of the game in question. We open our discussion with insights into each of these unique gaming categories.

Skill Games – As its namesake suggests, skill-based games rely on player smarts. This includes tactics and strategies necessary to achieve the game objectives. While the number of purely skill-based games is low, they certainly exist. Chess is arguably the most famous skill game in the world, alongside various challenges such as solving Rubik’s Cubes, word puzzles, and mathematical games. By definition, a skill game relies entirely on a player’s ability to strategize against an opponent or a machine.

The most skillful players tend to fare better than their competitors. In a game of chess, players must study the rules intently, practice thousands of simulations, and explore myriad patterns of play. There are proven tactics and strategies to employ in the pursuit of outfoxing opponents. Each piece is governed by a set of rules that dictate how it moves. The board allows for limited moves, and players tactically work the pieces to achieve strategic outcomes.

Hybrid Games – This is the most common category of games available to players. Hybrid games are often mistakenly referred to as skill games. Many card games fit into this category, including card games at Zynga Poker (Texas Hold’em and Omaha), as well as other card games like Blackjack and Solitaire. Interestingly, hybrid games combine elements of skill and chance in a multifaceted array of entertainment. Any game where the game provider has an inherent house edge is typically a hybrid game or a game of chance, especially where the reward to the player is less than the valid mathematical reward.

The skill-based elements are often significant enough to impact how lucky a player tends to be. For example, in poker games, it has been said that the more strategic you play, the luckier you get. Even games that are portrayed as chance-based attractions are partly skill-based. In these types of attractions, players rely on statistical probability to determine which games offer better outcomes. For example, spinning wheels or spinning reels have assigned RTPs governed by RNGs. From a player’s POV, it’s all about maximizing potential outcomes in any hybrid game.

Chance Games – A purely chance-based game, like a dice roll, coin toss, or wheel spin, relies on Lady Luck. There is a near-zero degree of skill involved in determining the game outcome. It’s like purchasing a lottery ticket with no chance of influencing outcomes. Every chance game has an expected return-to-player percentage, as indicated above. Even when the odds are stacked against players in games of chance, players are still in with a chance. As they say in the classics, you need a ticket to win it.

Luck and skill are not the same. The skill element of selecting games of chance rests in a player’s ability to identify games that are more favorable to players. The higher the expected return, all things being equal, the better the game of chance for players. Aspects to consider include volatility, randomness, expected return, and potential outcomes. A rudimentary example highlights this perfectly: A spinning wheel with five slices offers a much better probability for a player than a spinning wheel with 10 slices. Logic invariably plays an integral part in a skilled selection of chance-based games.

The Final Word

Ultimately, the degree of skill required to master a game depends on the category of games under consideration. In the card games arena, there is a wide range of attractions to choose from. Those requiring skill and mastery take time to learn. Those relying on good fortune are left to chance. Lucky players tend to do better than unlucky players in chance-based games. And yet even within this agglomeration, it is fair to say that a clear understanding of the rules goes a long way towards improved outcomes.