The first question that has to be answered before we can fully discuss game balance, is of course: What is game balance? There is no correct definition for a balanced game, and many different people use different definitions. For example, in most fighting games, balance means that there are no characters that are vastly stronger than others, and that any character could beat another character. On Smogon, a site dedicated to competitive Pokemon, balance is defined by having the highest number of viable Pokemon in the metagame possible.

Generally I will refer to a balanced game as a game without a clear superior strategy or tactic, such as choosing a certain race or character. Furthermore, it’s important that there is no strategy that can easily win, but takes almost no skill. For example, many fighting games have a character that can easily defeat most players by spamming a single attack. This does not mean it’s the best character, as a skillful player could easily beat him, but it’s still harmful to the game balance.
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