All design elements within a game are in some kind of balance. A game can be balanced for different effects. When we talk of video game balance we generally refer to the balance of gameplay or even a sub system of gameplay. And by balance we generally mean so that there are interesting choices. However, there are countless to balance a game. Understanding what kind of balance (whether toward a specific skill, character, playstyle, etc) is a much less subjective and a much more thorough method of understanding a game's design than Sirlin's definition which conflates the term with concepts of interesting choices, design space, and move viability. Sirlins definition is decent for the general use of the term. A multiplayer game is balanced if a reasonably large number of options available to the player are viable--especially, but not limited to, during high-level play by expert players. --Sirlin, December 2001