Number Aesthetics

Number Aesthetics

              Every game deals with numbers.  Whether its in the code that no one sees, or its nothing more than a arbitrary score, to numbers that have a huge affect on game play in the case of RPG's or RTS's.   The right numbers can make or break a game.  Outside of their actual affect on game play, the aesthetics of numbers are important too.
              Numbers have a visual affect on the mindset of players.  While it's easier for programmers to think in terms of 0 and 5, having all your numbers as multiples of these just comes off awkward to players in most games (there are some exceptions though).  So, programmers must design their numbers in such a way that they seem "random" across the board.  In a game in which numbers reach a sufficiently large number and quantity, it should seem possible that any number could show its face.
             In truth however, most of this is completely arbitrary.  Balance is often times figured in in the easy 0/5 multiples and then the actual number is somewhere close; it's the rare care case that +/- 1 or two points causes a huge impact in large numbers, it does however, visually please players more .
            On the same note, the difference between 10, 100, 1000, 10000, and beyond is also completely arbitrary.  Numbers are only important in relation to each other when it comes to games.  It does not matter if you hit for 100 or 1,000 if the enemy is correspondingly at 1,000/10,000 hp.  You still deal 10% damage.  However, larger numbers give a player the feeling of being strong even when it is not the case.  Well designed numbers will continue to grow while often times still having the same end result against enemies.  This allows the player to think that they are growing stronger and honestly feel it when they hit those bigger and bigger numbers.  Designers can compound this feeling by increasing the number of mobs a player has to face w/o increasing the hit points of the actual mob.   Being able to kill two, even if its at the same pace you could kill one, is more pleasurable to the player.
           In short and to summarize my random thought, numbers are more than just balance.  Using them correctly invokes certain feelings within the players.  You can create the feelings of struggle, growth, and power through the use of the right numbers.  Giving numbers some "randomness" in their appearance also comes off natural and pleases players, while numbers that feel very set, come off as awkward and give players a small note of hesitation.