Decision Space

Replayability and Why It Doesn’t Matter (What We Talk About)

Nov 8, 2023
The podcast discusses factors that make a game replayable and debates if replayability even matters. They explore the role of decision-making, variability, randomness, and depth in creating replayable experiences. The hosts share examples from board games like Villagers, Can't Stop, Spirit Island, and Chess. They also touch on the relationship between replayability and self-governance in video games. Ultimately, they delve into the subjective nature of replayability and the influence of external factors on its importance.
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INSIGHT

Replayability Defined

  • Replayability in board games means wanting to play a game multiple times and actually doing so.
  • This concept also applies to other media like movies, books, and music.
INSIGHT

Automatic Decisions

  • Games with automatic decisions, where optimal moves become obvious, are less replayable.
  • This can happen even in Euro games that become pure optimization puzzles.
ANECDOTE

Villagers vs. Can't Stop

  • Brandon finds Villagers less replayable over time as decisions feel automatic.
  • Can't Stop remains replayable due to its risky decision-making.
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