I think snakes and ladders is like watching sports. You pick a team (somewhat arbitrarily) and attach yourself emotionally to how well it does just to feel something.
In snakes and ladders there isn’t a move. There’s not a single choice in the whole game. From the viewpoint of game theory it is not even a game, since a game requires choice. Without choice no strategy, without strategy no game in the sense of game theory.
And a non-game without strategy or choice cannot have a solution.
I’ve known people that refuse to play a game if it has been solved, even if they don’t know the optimal moves.
Like, there is no difference to the play experience if both players don’t know the solution.
yeah okay but i’m still not playing snakes and ladders with you
I think snakes and ladders is like watching sports. You pick a team (somewhat arbitrarily) and attach yourself emotionally to how well it does just to feel something.
For a more obvious example of this phenomenon watch marble races on youtube.
Go pinkies!
i feel like there are more interesting spectator sports to use for that, but i guess if you’re easily overwhelmed…
You need to be in a crowd for those good chemicals to start pumping. Try to gather at least five for each colour
i’ve been at a hebocon event, i know the feeling.
Is Snakes and Ladders considered solved?
I’m not sure it counts if there are zero choices provided to the player
A game is solved if there’s a strategy that leads to optimal results. Snakes and ladders has no strategy.
I would argue against that conclusion. In some games and optimal policy is the best that you can come up with, and we consider that a solution.
It’s a recursive game by nature, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the best move.
In snakes and ladders there isn’t a move. There’s not a single choice in the whole game. From the viewpoint of game theory it is not even a game, since a game requires choice. Without choice no strategy, without strategy no game in the sense of game theory.
And a non-game without strategy or choice cannot have a solution.
probably not, in the same way that a coin toss isn’t.
Coin tosses are solved, always call “heads I win, tails you lose”
you’re leaving out the “miraculously lands on the rim” case, leaving good money on the table
No no it landed on tails, so tails wins.