The Entire concept that Chess talks about with putting games into the categories of “player one” and “player two” games is a foreign one to me. I had always put games into categories on whether they were “hardcore” or “casual,” two admittedly loaded terms.

The game I found myself thinking about most in regard to Player One/Player Two is League of Legends. The game has managed to capture an audience broader than any other competitive multiplayer game, with a significant gap between it and number 2 (which is currently, at least for the PC market, CS:GO). Therefore, one must conclude that Riot has done a good job with bringing in the more casual players (again, not trying to use “casual” in a demeaning manner). It’s easier to run on low-end PC’s and Laptops than most other, the game has a welcoming and colorful visual style, and admittedly good marketing. It has a bunch of different characters who all fulfill their own roles. All the while, however, Riot promotes their esports scene in an attempt to get people to keep playing and try to improve.

So, which category does it fall under? You could argue player one since it is a competitive game with a large skill gap, but then player two because it does a good job at inclusion and bringing in new players. This raises the question to me of whether a game can be meant for both “Player One” and “Player Two.” It’s a commonly accepted marketing strategy to find a specific target audience for your game. If you find yourself trying to bridge the gap between two completely different demographics, often you’ll find neither demographic feeling just right, and end up having no audience. But League of Legends seems to have tapped into something rather unique there in that it appeals, at least to some extent, to both demographics. One can easily argue, as I would, that the game appeals moreso to the more casual side of things (especially when put in comparison to other similar games such as Starcraft II and Dota 2) but the point still stands that it has attracted. If we were to use the 10 different categories that are outlined by Chess (which are, to refresh peoples memories, Thematic, Collaborative, Time positive, Low risk, creative expression, lush aesthetics, nonsexualized, avatar selection, low violence and low harassment), I would firmly put League of Legends into Low Risk (if you lose a game you just play another), Time Positive (matches are incredibly short for multiplayer games), Collaborative (5v5), and Lush aesthetics. There is also a possibility you can put it into low violence, as it is all cartoon graphics and there is very little blood, with no gore to be seen.

Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros (particularly the newer entries, as Melee tends to be incredibly unforgiving to beginners) is another game that has done this successfully.

If a game were to hypothetically fall into both Player One and Two categories at the same time, then what would that mean for it? Is it possible, even?