Cursed Problems in Game Design

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uE6-vIi1rQ

Summarized by @imbw267 TL;DR: A cursed problem is an unsolvable design problem, rooted in a conflict between core player promises (expectations). Prepare to sacrifice something to avoid the cursed problems.

Cursed problems may arise in friction between experience and objective, or intrinsic and extrinsic goals.

The Four Core Techniques for resolving Cursed Problems:

• Barriers: Remove affordances that break player promises. These sacrifice player agency.
• Gates: Hide bad game-states behind a challenge. These sacrifice player knowledge and tension.
• Carrots: Incentivize avoiding bad game-states. These sacrifice impact of player choices.
• S'mores: Make the unwanted game-state fun. These change the player promise.

Monetization creates cursed problems by existing. “Pay-to-win” vs. “Player-skill” is the fundamental conflict.