game-design-perceived-randomness-audit

Name: game-design-perceived-randomness-audit
Author: Stanestane

34stars3forks

How to install game-design-perceived-randomness-audit?

stanestane/game-design-skills-bundle/game-design-perceived-randomness-audit

$npx -y skills add Stanestane/game-design-skills-bundle --skill game-design-perceived-randomness-audit

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Audit a game feature, combat system, loot table, reward loop, procedural system, chance mechanic, or uncertainty-driven design by how players are likely to perceive its randomness. Use when you need to evaluate whether a system will feel fair, streaky, rigged, sabotaging, manipul

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SKILL.md

1	# Game Design Perceived Randomness Audit
2
3	Audit not just the math of randomness, but the psychology of how players will read it.
4
5	Use this skill when the core question is not only "is this random system balanced?" but also "what story will players tell themselves about this randomness?" The goal is to catch places where independent events will be perceived as rigged patterns, where streaks will feel malicious, where uncertainty undermines competence, or where the game could use presentation or structure to make randomness feel fairer and more legible.
6
7	Read `references/perception-patterns.md` when you need the key psychology behind randomness perception.
8	Read `references/audit-checklist.md` when you need a compact checklist of design risks and mitigation levers.
9
10	## Core behavior
11
12	- Keep the analysis practical, not statistical-for-its-own-sake.
13	- Audit player perception, not only formal probability.
14	- Distinguish actual randomness from perceived randomness.
15	- Identify where players will imagine patterns, sabotage, or "the game knows what I need and withholds it" behavior.
16	- Check whether randomness happens before the decision or between the decision and the outcome.
17	- Treat randomness that interferes directly with player action as more dangerous than randomness that shapes the environment.
18	- Look for streak pain, expectation mismatch, control illusions, and competence damage.
19	- Recommend concrete fixes in system design, UX, communication, and presentation.
20
21	## What to ask first
22
23	Prioritize these questions:
24	1. What is the feature or random system?
25	2. What outcomes are random?
26	3. What does the player know before acting, and what is hidden until after acting?
27	4. What player action is this randomness attached to?
28	5. What does the player usually want in the moment when the random outcome occurs?
29	6. How often does the randomness happen, and how visible are streaks?
30	7. Is the system meant to feel exciting, fair, learnable, punishing, suspenseful, or skill-testing?
31	8. Are there safeguards, pity rules, weighted drops, rerolls, previews, or player-choice layers already present?
32
33	If information is missing, infer cautiously and state the assumption.
34
35	## What to diagnose
36
37	Quickly identify:
38	- whether the player is likely to assume hidden patterns in independent outcomes
39	- whether gambler's-fallacy-style expectations will make the system feel unfair after streaks
40	- whether players will expect conditional fairness such as "I have not gotten X lately so I should get it soon"
41	- whether randomness is input randomness, output randomness, or an unhealthy blur of both
42	- whether the system damages the feeling of competence by making deliberate actions resolve unpredictably
43	- whether players can meaningfully react to uncertainty using skill
44	- whether the presentation helps players understand the randomness or makes it feel rigged
45	- whether the mitigation method creates exploit risk or false promises
46
47	## Response structure
48
49	Always organize the answer using this structure.
50
51	### System Read
52	- describe the random system in plain language
53	- state what is actually random and what is not
54
55	### Player Expectation Read
56	- explain what players are likely to expect from the system
57	- identify likely mistaken assumptions about balance, streak correction, fairness, or hidden intent
58
59	### Perceived Fairness Risk
60	- explain when the system is likely to feel fair, unfair, rigged, streaky, or malicious
61	- highlight the most likely frustration story players will tell themselves
62
63	### Randomness Placement
64	- identify whether this is mostly input randomness or output randomness
65	- explain whether randomness happens before the player chooses or after the player commits
66	- say whether that placement supports or undermines skill expression
67
68	### Competence and Agency Read
69	- explain whether players can adapt to the uncertainty with skill
70	- identify where randomness is likely to invalidate intentional play
71	- note whether the system feels like a challenge to respond to or a sabotage of action
72
73	### Risk Diagnosis
74	- give the top 2 to 5 perception risks
75	- include streak pain, hidden-intent suspicion, exploitability, or expectation mismatch where relevant
76
77	### Recommendation
78	- recommend specific design, UX, or messaging changes
79	- separate must-fix from optional polish when us

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game-design-perceived-randomness-audit

34stars3forks

View on GitHub

How to install game-design-perceived-randomness-audit?

stanestane/game-design-skills-bundle/game-design-perceived-randomness-audit

$npx -y skills add Stanestane/game-design-skills-bundle --skill game-design-perceived-randomness-audit

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Game Design Perceived Randomness Audit
2
3	Audit not just the math of randomness, but the psychology of how players will read it.
4
5	Use this skill when the core question is not only "is this random system balanced?" but also "what story will players tell themselves about this randomness?" The goal is to catch places where independent events will be perceived as rigged patterns, where streaks will feel malicious, where uncertainty undermines competence, or where the game could use presentation or structure to make randomness feel fairer and more legible.
6
7	Read `references/perception-patterns.md` when you need the key psychology behind randomness perception.
8	Read `references/audit-checklist.md` when you need a compact checklist of design risks and mitigation levers.
9
10	## Core behavior
11
12	- Keep the analysis practical, not statistical-for-its-own-sake.
13	- Audit player perception, not only formal probability.
14	- Distinguish actual randomness from perceived randomness.
15	- Identify where players will imagine patterns, sabotage, or "the game knows what I need and withholds it" behavior.
16	- Check whether randomness happens before the decision or between the decision and the outcome.
17	- Treat randomness that interferes directly with player action as more dangerous than randomness that shapes the environment.
18	- Look for streak pain, expectation mismatch, control illusions, and competence damage.
19	- Recommend concrete fixes in system design, UX, communication, and presentation.
20
21	## What to ask first
22
23	Prioritize these questions:
24	1. What is the feature or random system?
25	2. What outcomes are random?
26	3. What does the player know before acting, and what is hidden until after acting?
27	4. What player action is this randomness attached to?
28	5. What does the player usually want in the moment when the random outcome occurs?
29	6. How often does the randomness happen, and how visible are streaks?
30	7. Is the system meant to feel exciting, fair, learnable, punishing, suspenseful, or skill-testing?
31	8. Are there safeguards, pity rules, weighted drops, rerolls, previews, or player-choice layers already present?
32
33	If information is missing, infer cautiously and state the assumption.
34
35	## What to diagnose
36
37	Quickly identify:
38	- whether the player is likely to assume hidden patterns in independent outcomes
39	- whether gambler's-fallacy-style expectations will make the system feel unfair after streaks
40	- whether players will expect conditional fairness such as "I have not gotten X lately so I should get it soon"
41	- whether randomness is input randomness, output randomness, or an unhealthy blur of both
42	- whether the system damages the feeling of competence by making deliberate actions resolve unpredictably
43	- whether players can meaningfully react to uncertainty using skill
44	- whether the presentation helps players understand the randomness or makes it feel rigged
45	- whether the mitigation method creates exploit risk or false promises
46
47	## Response structure
48
49	Always organize the answer using this structure.
50
51	### System Read
52	- describe the random system in plain language
53	- state what is actually random and what is not
54
55	### Player Expectation Read
56	- explain what players are likely to expect from the system
57	- identify likely mistaken assumptions about balance, streak correction, fairness, or hidden intent
58
59	### Perceived Fairness Risk
60	- explain when the system is likely to feel fair, unfair, rigged, streaky, or malicious
61	- highlight the most likely frustration story players will tell themselves
62
63	### Randomness Placement
64	- identify whether this is mostly input randomness or output randomness
65	- explain whether randomness happens before the player chooses or after the player commits
66	- say whether that placement supports or undermines skill expression
67
68	### Competence and Agency Read
69	- explain whether players can adapt to the uncertainty with skill
70	- identify where randomness is likely to invalidate intentional play
71	- note whether the system feels like a challenge to respond to or a sabotage of action
72
73	### Risk Diagnosis
74	- give the top 2 to 5 perception risks
75	- include streak pain, hidden-intent suspicion, exploitability, or expectation mismatch where relevant
76
77	### Recommendation
78	- recommend specific design, UX, or messaging changes
79	- separate must-fix from optional polish when us

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type