Meaningful Choices in Games
Choices only matter if the options are meaningfully different and none is obviously dominant.
Schell talks about the importance of meaningful choices in games: for example, if you can choose between 10 cars in a racing game, but they all handle the same, it's like having no choice at all. On the flipside, if you have 10 choices but one that's clearly better than the others, it's also like having no choice at all. The latter scenario is also known as a dominant strategy.
References:
- The Art of Game Design - A Book of Lenses (2nd Edition) (Chapter 13. Game Mechanics Must Be In Balance)