Psychology class and impact on game enjoyment.

Eric · 04-25-2014, 05:44 PM

Hi,

To start out, I love OOTP and have been playing since OOTP4. I grew up playing APBA and really relish not having to be the manager for all the teams. The player development, minor league and all those statistics makes me coming back year after year.

When I played APBA, I would adjust the lineups thinking a player was getting hot and cold. I also have done the same when I played OOTP.

After taking a psychology class at a local junior college for personal enrichment, I realized that humans tend to look for patterns in the world when there really are none. Looking back at my APBA playing days, it was just dice rolls that made a player seem like he was on a hot-streak and subsequent rolls would not affect the dice results.

When I play OOTP, there have been times when I think that the performance of the players are random and benching them or moving them down in the order really is just my vain attempt at controlling an uncontrollable situation. It kind of puts a damper on the enjoyment of the game - realizing it's just random results.

What are other people's thoughts?

waitwut · 04-25-2014, 07:01 PM

Its random within limits. The ratings guide a lot. If you play with 100% ratings and a bad player is playing well, then yeah you can blame "randomness" same with a good player going on a cold streak and it is pointless to move them around in the lineup since the variation will regress back to the mean. However playing with some "fog of war" can make things a bit more interesting and you can't chalk everything up to randomness, so those moves might be beneficial.

endgame · 04-25-2014, 07:11 PM

Begin with questioning your own randomness; the idea of being immersed in a magnificent obsession. A 26-game hitting streak? Perhaps it's just ordered chaos or odds. Perhaps, not unlike the human condition, it may be a "glorious accident."

A Glorious Accident: Understanding Our Place in the Cosmic Puzzle: Wim Kayzer: 9780716735649: Amazon.com: Books

Embrace it, regardless. To be captivated is preferable to inevitable indifference. Or go play cards.

The Wolf · 04-25-2014, 07:15 PM

You really need to read "How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life," by Thomas Gilovich.

He explains all of that.

seven · 04-25-2014, 11:51 PM

Another good book to read is "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives" by Leonard Mlodinow. Understanding more about randomness should only improve your enjoyment of OOTP. With your new knowledge you can turn to other, valid factors to make informed decisions in your game management. So rather than seeing the game in a lesser light, you have reason to like it even more.

04-25-2014, 05:44 PM	#1
Eric All Star Starter Join Date: May 2002 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 1,234	Psychology class and impact on game enjoyment. Hi, To start out, I love OOTP and have been playing since OOTP4. I grew up playing APBA and really relish not having to be the manager for all the teams. The player development, minor league and all those statistics makes me coming back year after year. When I played APBA, I would adjust the lineups thinking a player was getting hot and cold. I also have done the same when I played OOTP. After taking a psychology class at a local junior college for personal enrichment, I realized that humans tend to look for patterns in the world when there really are none. Looking back at my APBA playing days, it was just dice rolls that made a player seem like he was on a hot-streak and subsequent rolls would not affect the dice results. When I play OOTP, there have been times when I think that the performance of the players are random and benching them or moving them down in the order really is just my vain attempt at controlling an uncontrollable situation. It kind of puts a damper on the enjoyment of the game - realizing it's just random results. What are other people's thoughts?

04-25-2014, 07:11 PM	#3
endgame Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 16,842	Begin with questioning your own randomness; the idea of being immersed in a magnificent obsession. A 26-game hitting streak? Perhaps it's just ordered chaos or odds. Perhaps, not unlike the human condition, it may be a "glorious accident." A Glorious Accident: Understanding Our Place in the Cosmic Puzzle: Wim Kayzer: 9780716735649: Amazon.com: Books Embrace it, regardless. To be captivated is preferable to inevitable indifference. Or go play cards. __________________ "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett _____________________________________________ Last edited by endgame; 04-25-2014 at 07:19 PM.

04-25-2014, 11:51 PM	#5
seven All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Victoria, Canada Posts: 634	randomness Another good book to read is "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives" by Leonard Mlodinow. Understanding more about randomness should only improve your enjoyment of OOTP. With your new knowledge you can turn to other, valid factors to make informed decisions in your game management. So rather than seeing the game in a lesser light, you have reason to like it even more.

04-25-2014, 07:01 PM	#2
waitwut Minors (Single A) Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 65	Its random within limits. The ratings guide a lot. If you play with 100% ratings and a bad player is playing well, then yeah you can blame "randomness" same with a good player going on a cold streak and it is pointless to move them around in the lineup since the variation will regress back to the mean. However playing with some "fog of war" can make things a bit more interesting and you can't chalk everything up to randomness, so those moves might be beneficial.