1. Game Art and Design Unit 3 Lesson 4 Probability
International Technology Education Association

2. Big Idea
Knowledge of the basic skills and components of any field makes one uniquely prepared to perform at a high level in that area.

3. Formal Element: Probability

4. What is Probability?
Probability is a branch of mathematics that deals with calculating the likelihood an event will occur and is usually expressed as a number between 1 and 0.

5. Probability in Games
Game designers try to provide players with a new experience each time a game is played.
Randomness is built into the mechanics of a game and varies the number and location of obstacles that a player may encounter.
Randomness, probability, likelihood, and chance are all terms that describe how variety and unexpected outcomes are created in games.

6. Probability - Board Games
Use dice, spinners, and sand timers to add randomness and conflict.
When moves must be made in a limited amount of time or when a move is calculated by the roll of dice, the game experience is made unpredictable.

7. Probability - Board Games
Game designers use probability to plan the randomness that occurs in a game.
The probability of rolling any number with a pair of dice helps the game designer plan where to put large payoffs or huge danger zones.
In most games, large payouts or huge dangers should occur infrequently.

8. Probability in Games: Types
Dice
Spinner
Number of objects
Size of objects
Speed of objects
Other

9. Probability types: DICE

10. Probability Types: Dice
Use goes back thousands of years.
Were originally made from joint bones of animals.
Later were made from bone, metal, or pottery.

11. Probability Types: Dice
In ancient times, the outcome of a dice throw was not considered luck, but believed to be controlled by the gods.
For this reason, casting dice was a way of dividing inheritances.
In ancient Rome, the goddess Fortuna (Lady Luck), the daughter of Zeus, was believed to determine the outcome of a throw.

12. Probability Types: Dice Terminology
Use the lowercase “d” preceded by a die count and followed by the number of sides of the dice.
For example, 6d8 means six eight-sided dice as shown.

13. Probability Types: Non-Cubic Dice
Tetrahedron (black)- each side has three numbers
Octahedron (white)- eight sides
10-sided (green)– face is triangular
Multi-sided - up to 20 sides

14. Probability Types: Using Two Dice
First, assume each die is a cube with six equal sides.
Second, assume each die has numbers 1-6.
Opposite numbers on the die always equal 7.

15. Do activity 3.31 before you look at the next few slides
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Do activity 3.31 before you look at the next few slides

16. Probability Types: Using Two Dice
Table shows all possible outcomes.
Notice that it is possible to have squares with the same values, but in different orders.
(1,1)
(1,2)
(1,3)
(1,4)
(1,5)
(1,6)
(2,1)
(2,2)
(2,3)
(2,4)
(2,5)
(2,6)
(3,1)
(3,2)
(3,3)
(3,4)
(3,5)
(3,6)
(4,1)
(4,2)
(4,3)
(4,4)
(4,5)
(4,6)
(5,1)
(5,2)
(5,3)
(5,4)
(5,5)
(5,6)
(6,1)
(6,2)
(6,3)
(6,4)
(6,5)
(6,6)

17. Probability Using Two Dice
Find the sum of the two dice in each square.
Look for the number of times the SUM of both dice occurs. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

18. Probability Types: Using Two Dicex
count
P(X) 2 1
1/36 3
2/36 4
3/36 5
4/36 6
5/36 7
6/36 8 9 10 11 12
X is the possible totals.
Count is the number of occurrences for that total.
Sum of all the counts = 36.
P(X) is the probability of the outcome (dividing individual count by total count).
Rolling a 8 is 5 out of 36 times.

19. Probability Types: Using Two Dice

20. Probability types: Spinners

21. Probability Types: Spinners
Design and layout of the spinner will affect the frequency of outcomes.
Spinners created for small children may use pictures, colors, or symbols instead of numbers.
Frequently chosen to be used in games for young children rather than dice because the dice pose a choking hazard.

22. Probability Types: Spinners
Poor construction and the way a player spins can significantly change the outcome.
The number and size of choices on the wheel changes the percentage.
What is the probability of spinning red?

23. Probability Types: Spinners
The probability of an event is the total number of ways an event can occur divided by the total number of outcomes.
P(A) = The number of ways event can occur
The total number of possible outcomes

24. Spinner Probability
Do activity 3.32

25. Probability of Cards

26. Card Games: Randomness
Occurs when players “shuffle” the cards.
Affected by how many suits or number of different cards.
Players use knowledge of probability to calculate the likelihood that a certain event will occur to plan the next move.

27. Card Games: Randomness
In poker, the value of the various hands increases as the probability of the hand occurring goes down.
It is very rare for a player to get a royal flush (ace, king, queen, jack, and 10 all in the same suit).

28. Card Games: Probability of Poker Hands (Five cards)
Poker Hand      Number of Probability Combinations   Royal Straight Flush                 4        Other Straight Flush               36         Four of a kind                    624        Full House                      3,744        Flush                           ,108        Straight                       ,200        Three of a kind               54,912        Two Pairs                     123,552         One Pair                    1,098,240         High card only           1,302,540        Total                        2,598,960      

29. Big Idea
Knowledge of the basic skills and components of any field makes one uniquely prepared to perform at a high level in that area.

30. Game Art and Design Unit 3 Lesson Probability Images student work, photos by Phyllis Jones, and clipart
International Technology Education Association