Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Finding the Perfect Family Game

Posted by michael on from the hungry-hungry-hippos dept.

kowalski1971 writes "Some poor soul with far too much time on his hands has decided - in an attempt to increase sales at his toyshop - to calculate the formula for the perfect family game. Apparently it is, 0.22a + 0.17f + 0.153n + (0.12c - 0.1g) + 0.1s + 0.09e + 0.06d + 0.054l + 0.05m + 0.011c = pfg ...and which game came out top? Cards. So much for the increased sales then."

6 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Simpler formula by C17GMaster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I notice that most of those factors are vaguely defined at best... "Fun factor?" Get real! As long as we're pulling qualitative numbers out of the air, why not design a simpler system? Perfect Family Game = 1.0g, where "g" is the "goodness level." Practical, huh?

  2. cards by gotem · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Cards" is not a game
    a game is poker, bridge, blackjack etc.
    which card game are they talking about?

  3. Best selling by Tet · · Score: 4, Insightful
    So much for the increased sales then

    Best selling game != best game. Admittedly, the point of this exercise was probably to increase sales, so on that front, it's failed... Also note that his formula reuses symbols ("C" is both competitive factor, and complexity), and he parenthesizes items for no apparently good reason when the operators are commutative. Is he just trying to come up with an impressive looking formula to get a newsworthy story and bring his store some publicity? On that front, he's succeeded...

    --
    "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
  4. An old truth by gxv · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Good for everybody and therefore probably good for nobody. And if anybody hopes complicated equations will help him pick the best Christmas gift for his nephew he's mistaken. It will be easier to ask.

  5. Toy stores do not sell "games" by tepples · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Cards" is not a game

    But it is game equipment. Toy stores do not deal in "games" as such but rather game equipment. A pair of decks of 52 cards can be used for 100 plus well-known games, which may figure into the decision that cards are nearly optimal game equipment.

  6. Re:2 Cs by hurtstotouchfire · · Score: 4, Insightful
    You are correct. He also doesn't seem to have provided any kind of list as to how many different games they tested. Is the the top ten or did they test ten?

    Also, this formula should really include variables for different people. I know monopoly with my grandfather is a blast, because he's old and cheap and sits on all his money and kicks butt at the end, but monopoly with my youngest cousins can be hellish, because they cry when anyone plays rough.

    This should really be more of a function, where you supply 5 or 10 bits of information, and the top 10 list is customized to you.