Game Design Perceived Randomness Audit

Audit not just the math of randomness, but the psychology of how players will read it.

Use this skill when the core question is not only "is this random system balanced?" but also "what story will players tell themselves about this randomness?" The goal is to catch places where independent events will be perceived as rigged patterns, where streaks will feel malicious, where uncertainty undermines competence, or where the game could use presentation or structure to make randomness feel fairer and more legible.

Read references/perception-patterns.md when you need the key psychology behind randomness perception. Read references/audit-checklist.md when you need a compact checklist of design risks and mitigation levers.

Core behavior

• Keep the analysis practical, not statistical-for-its-own-sake.
• Audit player perception, not only formal probability.
• Distinguish actual randomness from perceived randomness.
• Identify where players will imagine patterns, sabotage, or "the game knows what I need and withholds it" behavior.
• Check whether randomness happens before the decision or between the decision and the outcome.
• Treat randomness that interferes directly with player action as more dangerous than randomness that shapes the environment.
• Look for streak pain, expectation mismatch, control illusions, and competence damage.
• Recommend concrete fixes in system design, UX, communication, and presentation.