Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Balatro's rocketing popularity is easy to understand—its impressive roguelike deckbuilding action is endlessly compulsive. In this video essay, let's discuss whether that's necessarily a good thing.
Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast - http://anchor.fm/writingongamescast
Second Channel - youtube.com/channel/UC1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A
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Balatro is a game I have sunk countless hours into. I find it incredibly impressive that such a wild little engine of roguelike deckbuilding action was developed essentially by one person, and its skyrocketing popularity is easy to understand as a result, with people collectively having spent several millennia total playing it. I also come away from that time not entirely sure if I actually enjoyed my time with Balatro, or if I merely felt a compulsion to keep going one more round. Was the wool pulled over my eyes somewhat? Is the time we spend with games like this meaningful or merely lost? In this video essay and analysis of Balatro, available on Steam, PS5, Switch, and now Android and iOS on mobile, lets talk about whether there is a difference between compulsion and enjoyment.
Harry's excellent video on Balatro - youtube.com/watch?v=OtkU005_3HM
0:00 - Balatro is the ultimate time sink
2:08 - Did I actually enjoy Balatro?
5:23 - Making the best use of time
6:57 - Outro
This, as you can probably tell from some of the stats used in the video, was actually made last year, much closer to the game's release. It was released to Patreon subscribers as an exclusive initially.
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Text intro by Isaac Holland - twitter.com/drazgames
Balatro's rocketing popularity is easy to understand—its impressive roguelike deckbuilding action is endlessly compulsive. In this video essay, let's discuss whether that's necessarily a good thing.
Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast - http://anchor.fm/writingongamescast
Second Channel - youtube.com/channel/UC1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A
---
Balatro is a game I have sunk countless hours into. I find it incredibly impressive that such a wild little engine of roguelike deckbuilding action was developed essentially by one person, and its skyrocketing popularity is easy to understand as a result, with people collectively having spent several millennia total playing it. I also come away from that time not entirely sure if I actually enjoyed my time with Balatro, or if I merely felt a compulsion to keep going one more round. Was the wool pulled over my eyes somewhat? Is the time we spend with games like this meaningful or merely lost? In this video essay and analysis of Balatro, available on Steam, PS5, Switch, and now Android and iOS on mobile, lets talk about whether there is a difference between compulsion and enjoyment.
Harry's excellent video on Balatro - youtube.com/watch?v=OtkU005_3HM
0:00 - Balatro is the ultimate time sink
2:08 - Did I actually enjoy Balatro?
5:23 - Making the best use of time
6:57 - Outro
This, as you can probably tell from some of the stats used in the video, was actually made last year, much closer to the game's release. It was released to Patreon subscribers as an exclusive initially.
---
Text intro by Isaac Holland - twitter.com/drazgames
