Proposal: Elo rating should be Arena-only, Play Mode-only, split into separate ratings, or apply under equal conditions

[Ceaseless]

the relative ELOs are driven as much by volume as skill.

What do you mean by this? What impact are you thinking of for volume?

[Jontia]

the relative ELOs are driven as much by volume as skill.

What do you mean by this? What impact are you thinking of for volume?

Imagine two people who win every game they play. One plays one game a week, the other one game a day. Which has the highest ELO?

The same is true for two players of any positive win rate. If you play more, your ELO will be higher over time.

[LPV123]

My instinct is to agree with you. That said, I could use some additional clarification about the purpose/benefit of higher ELO. Is it just a question of the being happier with a higher number? Does it affect who we are randomly paired with in regular play mode? Does it impact the Arena rankings? I just don’t know how it all works.

I tend to think play mode and arena and tournaments should be entirely separate (no shared ELO), both for the reasons originally mentioned and others, some of which have already been raised, such as the often-dramatic difference in game elements between/among play mode, arena, and tournaments. Yahtzee is one example of a game where earning wins can be much easier depending on the rules, which are locked in for arena but vary in play mode. A player might choose to skip a difficult arena season altogether because the risk to ELO, for instance.