Game theorists are sure they have found the most complex game in the world. Researchers from various countries have examined a game for certain characteristics and now believe that it is the most complex game in the world.
What game is it? This refers to arguably the most well-known card game in the gaming genre: “Magic: The Gathering.” Magic has been around for 26 years now. It was created in 1993 by its creator Richard Garfield.
Magic is now so big that it has its own online game with Magic: The Gathering – Arena and that certain cards from the collection are sold for over $100,000. There are also books and even pen-and-paper adaptations surrounding the card game.
There are also regular tournaments for Magic worldwide, all of which have strict rules with harsh penalties for violations. Now players can also boast about playing the most complex game in the world.
What makes Magic so complex?
The scope of the game is vast: The biggest reason for the game’s complexity is the possibility of moves, which is determined by the size of the possible collection.
Magic: The Gathering has nearly 20,000 unique cards according to deckbox.org. These are divided into five basic colors (with some special cases) and several types, such as:
- Creatures and artifacts
- various spells
- Mana (lands)
- Planeswalkers
What makes Magic so complex are the possibilities that arise from the effects of the cards. Many cards have abilities that change the game, leading to an ever-increasing number of decisions that must be made.
How is the complexity measured? Independent researcher Alex Churchill from Cambridge, along with researchers Stella Biderman from Atlanta and Austin Herric from Philadelphia, have delved into the game.
They created a direct game situation in which both players are forced into certain moves by effects and both are on the brink of victory or defeat. They then simulated the possible moves using a so-called “Turing machine.”
A Turing machine is a model that simulates algorithms to determine their computability. In simple terms, the researchers attempted to find out whether a computer can predict the outcome of a round in Magic.
That’s why Magic is the most complex game in the world
How complex is Magic: They concluded that Magic cannot always be calculated by a computer. The possibilities are too varied for every round to have a unique outcome.
In fact, in real Magic games, situations can occur where moves repeat endlessly. In such a case, the round ends in a draw. For a computer, however, this means no definitive outcome, as would be possible in chess through the calculation of a finite number of moves. Magic is the first game in which a winning strategy cannot be definitively calculated.
Especially the fact that the game can be “programmed” during a round makes it difficult for machines to calculate. Effects that already change the conditions during the game can be altered again by cards like “Artificial Evolution.”
The outcome heavily depends on which creatures are present in the game and in what order cards are drawn. However, the researchers’ insights go even further. Biderman explains:
If you choose your favorite math problem, you can create a Magic game situation by appropriately selecting cards that solves this problem.
Stella Biderman via Spektrum
This may be cumbersome, but it is possible and shows that Magic is more complex than a computer can calculate. It is even more complex than previously assumed as to what is possible and now requires further research in this area. At least in other areas, computers are more than capable:
