About the Game
Why is the game called "SigmaCurve"?
The name SigmaCurve comes from the game's focus on volatility and how it changes over time.
In finance, volatility is commonly represented by the Greek letter "sigma" (σ).
In SigmaCurve we track how the largest number in the gameboard moves during each play session and plot that movement as a curve that you can review after the game ends.
The curve shows how stable or unstable the board has been while you made decisions.
The way this game calculates scores is similar to how the Sharpe ratio is calculated in finance.
What is volatility?
Volatility measures how much the value of an asset or a portfolio moves up and down over a given period.
It is a standard way to think about risk. Higher volatility means larger and more frequent swings in value.
Lower volatility means smaller, more stable changes.
A simple way to calculate volatility:
- Compute the return for each round.
- Find the average return across the rounds.
- Calculate the standard deviation of those returns. The standard deviation is the volatility.
A return is the percentage change from one round to the next.
Example:
- Round returns: 2%, -1%, 3%, 4%
- Average return = (2 - 1 + 3 + 4) / 4 = 2%
- Standard deviation ≈ 2.55%
In this example the volatility is about 2.55%.
What is Sharpe ratio?
The Sharpe ratio measures risk-adjusted performance.
It tells you how much extra return you get for each unit of risk you take.
Sharpe ratio formula:
Sharpe ratio = (Average return − Risk-free return) / Standard deviation of returns
Example:
- Average return = 10% (0.10)
- Risk-free return = 2% (0.02)
- Standard deviation = 5% (0.05)
- Sharpe ratio = (0.10 − 0.02) / 0.05 = 1.6
A higher Sharpe ratio means better risk-adjusted performance.
In SigmaCurve the goal is similar: earn high returns while keeping volatility under control.
How SigmaCurve uses these ideas
SigmaCurve translates finance concepts into simple game mechanics:
- You merge numbered, colored tiles to change their values.
- Merging tiles of the same color but different numbers adds the numbers.
- Merging tiles with the same number divides the number and sets the tile to 1.
These rules cause values to rise and fall, similar to gains and corrections in markets.
Game objective
Your objective is to grow tile values and your score while avoiding extreme volatility on the board.
If numbers swing too wildly, your volatility rises and your risk-adjusted performance suffers.
The best players balance growth and stability — they aim to maximize returns relative to volatility, not only raw score.
Post-game summary and charts
At the end of each game SigmaCurve shows a summary and charts that visualize how the session evolved.
Typical visuals include:
- Per-round maximum values
- Game score over time
- Return and volatility trends
These charts are presented in a straightforward way so players can learn from each session.
Data storage and player controls
- SigmaCurve stores up to your top 100 highest-scoring game records locally in your browser using IndexedDB.
- On the "Game Records" page you can:
- View individual game entries
- Delete a single record using the "Delete" button
- Delete all records using the "Delete All" button
- Download all stored game records using the "Download" button
Share and feedback
You are welcome to share your game results with friends.
If you have feedback, suggestions, or bug reports, use the "Contact Us" button in the left menu or email us at sigmacurve.tw [at] gmail.com.
Please include "About the Game feedback" in the subject line if the message is related to game design or mechanics.
Thanks for playing SigmaCurve. We hope the game gives you a fun way to explore strategic decision-making with a focus on risk-aware outcomes.