ABSTRACT
A computer uses a pseudorandom number generator (commonly abbreviated RNG and not PNG, because whoever coined the acronym was being a little too nontechnical) to provide pseudorandom numbers on demand. Game developers must be even more careful when using pseudorandom numbers in games played online, particularly if the numbers are generated on the players’ machines rather than on the server. The game then continues for a few turns until suddenly, one player takes an action that requires a virtual die roll, their machine rolls a success, and their opponent’s machine (with a different pseudorandom number) rolls a failure. Even with a fully deterministic game, just choosing a method of saving and loading that’s fun and enjoyable and not exploitable by the player is a challenge. Pseudorandom numbers can be a wonderful tool, and when designing a video game, they are usually the only option, but they have natural limitations in how much randomness they can actually allow.
