Understanding RNG: Are Digital Dice Truly Random?

The 'Rigged' Myth

If you have ever played a digital board game and suffered a losing streak, you might have yelled, 'This game is rigged!' It is human nature to look for patterns in randomness, a psychological phenomenon known as apophenia. When we get bad rolls, we blame the system.

How PRNG Works

Computers use Pseudo-Random Number Generators (PRNGs). These algorithms use a 'seed' value (often based on the exact millisecond of the system clock) and run it through complex mathematical formulas to produce a number that is, for all intents and purposes, entirely unpredictable and statistically fair. Over a sample size of 10,000 rolls, a digital die will output every number almost exactly 16.66% of the time.