There’s a classic Chinese martial arts movie based on the legends of the Water Margin. At one point, two of the heroes square off for a duel. They stand watching each other across the town square, poised in kung fu stance. Hours pass. Days pass. Then a breeze stirs up the dust, and a speck goes in one hero’s eye. He blinks, frowns, and suddenly relaxes with a sigh. He bows to the other hero. Such is the mastery of the martial arts these heroes possess that they know the result of the duel without having to fight.
Their skill was equal. And so a tiny asymmetry—the loss of concentration due to a speck of dust—was enough to decide the outcome.Game Architecture and Design: A New Edition Andrew Rollings Dave Morris
Imagine that was a beat-’em-up. You lost because of the wind? Because of a speck of dust in your eye? You’d take that game back to the store.