All this week we’ll be taking a look at some of the jargon used in board games. If you’re new to gaming, you might like our piece from last year explaining the terms used to describe different types of games. This week we’re concentrating on terms used by more dedicated players to describe characteristics of games and gamers, particularly ones that can be controversial or problematic.
Today’s word is min-maxing which can be controversial both for differing interpretations and whether it’s a positive or a negative. It comes from game theory in general and role playing games in particular, where it refers to players with a limited pool of ability or trait points choosing the minimum for some categories so they can apply the maximum in other categories.
In board games it is used in several contexts, but one refers to the idea of considering every possible option and calculating which offers the maximum reward (or potential reward) with the minimum risk or cost. In principle, it’s a perfectly sensible approach to take in trying to perform as well as possible in the game, and to many players it would be nonsensical to object to it.
To other players though, it can be more of a negative for several reasons:
If you or other players are prone to problematic min-maxing, some possible approaches include:
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