Feedback Loops in Games
Ever wondered how games keep you hooked, on the edge of your seat, or coming back for more? It’s all in the magic of feedback loops — those behind-the-scenes wizards shaping your gaming experience.
What is a feedback loop?
Feedback loops are systems where the output is fed back into the system as an input. And when it comes to game design, this typically means that a player’s success or failure impacts the likelihood of future successes and failures.
Types of feedback loops
Feedback loops are of 2 types:
- Positive Feedback loops
- Negative Feedback loops
Positive feedback loops
Positive feedback loops — the boosters of success. Imagine the Kill Streak system in games like Call of Duty, especially the classics like Modern Warfare. Rack up a bunch of kills in one go, and you’re treated to cool rewards like knowing where enemies are or calling in an airstrike. It’s like a party for the winners, giving them even more tools to dominate. It’s like that saying, “the rich get richer” but for gamers.
Now, flip the script. Positive loops can also be a bit of a downer when it comes to losses. Think about chess, where losing a key piece means your strategies shrink, and the chances of more losses start piling up. It’s like a domino effect, but not in a good way.
Negative Feedback loops
On the opposite side of the coin are negative feedback loops, which balance out successes and failures. And to explain this here’s a gem of an example we all know: Mario Kart’s item distribution.
Picture yourself racing ahead — you’re leading the pack. What do you get as a reward? Well, not much, just some harmless green shells and banana peels. But here’s the twist: those at the back get the good stuff. We’re talking bullet bills, golden mushrooms, and the dreaded blue shell that has a thing for first place. It’s like the game’s way of saying, “Hold on, speedster, give others a chance.”
So, while positive feedback loops crank up the excitement, the negative ones swoop in like peacekeepers, making sure things don’t go off the rails and keeping the game world in a steady groove.
Benefits of Feedback loops
Feedback loops in games have some cool perks. While not all games use them, they can add a neat twist. Take Splatoon, for example. The team that covers more ground with ink gets hidden spots and faster travel, making it part of the game’s vibe.
These loops also fix certain issues. Ever played a racing game where the front-runner seems unbeatable? Negative feedback loops step in there. They help out the players in the back with powerful items, keeping things exciting.
Positive loops are like the game’s GPS to a satisfying ending. In Team Fortress 2, capturing points reduces respawn time, helping the team in control seal the deal quickly.
Party games love negative loops. They spice things up with comebacks and surprises, adding drama and laughs for everyone playing.
In a nutshell, feedback loops amp up game fun, adding strategy and excitement along the way.
Disadvantages of feedback loops
Here’s the thing, getting these loops just right is a bit like walking a tightrope. Positive loops, for instance, can be a real downer for newbies who end up stuck in a losing loop or forever chasing the leader. Flip the coin, and negative loops can feel like a punch in the gut for skilled players who keep losing their hard-earned victories.
Now, let’s dive into a cautionary tale: XCOM. This game is mostly a solo gig, unlike those multiplayer examples I threw out there. But guess what? Feedback loops sneak their way into single-player games too.
You’ve got your classic JRPGs, where beating up monsters gives you XP, boosting your power and making monster-smashing even quicker. It’s a cycle that keeps on giving. However, here’s the curveball — usually, you dodge the other side of this loop, the snowballing losses. When you bite the dust, you just hit restart and carry on. That’s not the deal with games like XCOM. Oh no, if a mission tanks, you push through; fallen comrades stay fallen, thanks to permadeath. No going back to grind and come back stronger. And here’s the kicker: experienced troops become juggernauts, steamrolling enemies with ease. Not always the recipe for a good time, if you ask me.
How loops balance themselves out
As we talked about, games are carefully designed to entice and encourage players towards a certain way of playing — so punishing someone for successfully playing the game completely goes against those encouragements. This is one reason why it was so important for Capcom to never reveal that Resident Evil 4 was using a dynamic difficulty system — ultimately, a negative feedback loop. Telling players that the game will get harder if they’re doing well, or easier if they’re struggling, is effectively telling good players to make mistakes.
But I really like the idea of using negative feedback loops to cancel out the most destabilizing properties of positive feedback loop. You can see that in games like Civilization. In that game you can wipe out another nation and immediately take their land, which could lead to a snowballing positive feedback loop where you massively increase the size of your empire every time you defeat another leader. But negative feedback loops, like unhappy citizens and the increased cost of running a larger empire, pushes back against over-expansion.
And this is also a big part of RPGs: the more you level up, the more it costs for you to level up, which stops you from standing around the opening area boosting yourself to level 99 in 20 minutes.
Dampening Feedback Loops
A strong loop can simply have its effects dampened — which is what happened in Call of Duty. In the earlier games, killstreak bonuses like the airstrike, used to count towards future killstreak bonuses — giving you this absolutely bonkers positive feedback loop where a predator missile would give you enough kills to give you an AC-130 which would give you enough kills to grant you a tactical nuke. That got changed in Call of Duty: Back Ops, where killstreak bonuses no longer count towards killstreak bonuses, so that players would need to actually shoot or stab other players themselves to get these rewards.
And then there’s Mario Kart 8, where they introduced the super horn — basically, your weapon against those infuriating blue shells. It’s like the game’s way of saying, “Hey, let’s balance this thing out a bit.”
In Devil May Cry, getting a high score at the end of a level will grant a player more red orbs which are used to buy better weapons and health potions. This is a positive feedback loop that has the unfortunate effect of giving the best players a helping hand that they really don’t need, and means struggling players won’t have enough cash to get the items they require.
Conclusion
Feedback loops are a key part of many types of game, from JRPGs and persistent strategy games, to online shooters and arcade-y racing games. It’s all about keeping things fair in multiplayer and keeping that solo adventure exciting. It’s like walking a fine line between fun and challenge, and let me tell you, it’s a game designer’s juggling act that’s totally worth the effort.