This is not so much about video or virtual reality games, but those that do not have to be plugged in or insert batteries to begin to play. With this in mind, there are thousands of such games, many of which have long histories. Chess is a good example and we shall look at this game later.
Besides having experience in playing a particular game, if you want to win, you need to know what the odds are and how to move them in your favour. It may be easier said than done, but there are ways to increase your chances of winning in some games.
If we start with one of the simplest, easiest, cheapest and most common games of noughts and crosses which is also known as tic-tac-toe, we can analyse it to increase our chances. If both players know what they are doing, the game will always end in a draw. So, the only way of winning is for your opponent to make an error.
If we go up in complexity, there is the common game of Connect Four. Back in 1974, the game was analysed to see if there was any advantage in how it was played. The researchers did come up with a result. They found that the player who starts first can “with skill and luck), force a win.
Yet another level up is the game of Gomoku which involves obtaining five in a row. This is much harder both to win and to analyse. It took a computer analysis of the game in 1994 to conclude that if the player who begins plays their best game, they will win. However, as the level of game complexity increases, the player who takes the advantage still has to their level. Bearing complexity and ability in mind, we can move on to an ancient game which can stretch any player’s ability.
It is the game of chess. Our earliest account of chess comes from the 7th century. The current rules were set out in Europe at the end of the 15th century but were further ratified at the end of the 19th century. As it is one of the most played games in the world, I will not go into the ins and outs of the game but instead stick to your chances of winning.
To give you an idea of the complexity of chess, it has been estimated that for every position, the player has up to 40 possible moves. This can be as low as zero moves available as in the case of a checkmate or stalemate. But at the other end of the spectrum, a player can have up to 218 possible moves to choose from. Many years ago, someone who should get out more, calculated that the total legal moves possible in a game of chess were approximately 4.59 x 10 to the power of 44. That is 4.59 with 44 zeros after it! It puts noughts and crosses in the shade.
It has also been calculated that this figure for all possible moves in a chess game could be as high as 10 to the power of 120. This is more than all the atoms in the visible universe which is calculated as being 10 to the power of 80! These numbers are so vast that we should not take them all at face value but only as indications of the complexity of the game.
So, with all these mind-boggling numbers, is there a way to get an advantage? It is said that there is. White always starts first and this, it is suggested, gives this player a 2 to 3% advantage. That’s very little compared to everything else needed to win.
John Pullen 