In class, we discussed the issues of game balancing. One particular problem with thinking about balancing during development is that developers may not consider a possible action that players may take. One of the examples brought up is in Fullerton’s example in Game Design Workshop, where a multiplayer first-person shooter game presents a problem where players are spawn killed by opposing players. I think a lot of this problem depends heavily on the objective of the game they are playing. 

The solutions illustrated may have their respective cons reduced or nullified based on the objective of the game. One of the solutions offers a way where areas that players spawn are protected, with one of the cons being that players can still wait further outside the protected areas to kill the recently spawned players. For example, in League of Legends, while not an FPS game, does have a solution against spawn killing in the early- and midgame, which is that the area in which the player spawns is so far removed and protected from the enemy players that there is no realistic way to spawn camp in the early- or mid-game without the risk of the attempted spawn killing player dying themselves with little to no reward. By the late-game, many of these protections may be destroyed, reducing the risk of spawn-killing. However, when the game comes to the point where the protections are destroyed to the point where players can effectively camp outside the spawn point, the team with its protections destroyed has already effectively lost the game in all other aspects besides kill scores, and has a very low chance of making a comeback.

In a video we watched, one of the developers at Riot Games talks about the struggle of balancing playable characters for both experienced and inexperienced players. I think this is a positive point of view to have, as it signals and effort in trying to avoid the gatekeeping of “noobs” in other games due to the learning curve and creates a community where professional “hardcore” gamers are overvalued, while players who do not fit that mold are looked down upon. 

Sources:

“Chapter 10.” Game Design Workshop: a Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, by Tracy Fullerton, CRC Press, 2019.

“Balancing League of Legends for Every Player, from Bronze to Bengi.” Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii_Q4OCoHvU.