Rock-Paper-Scissors succeeds as a game precisely because it creates a closed system where each option defeats one other option and loses to one other option—a mathematically balanced game depending on random selection. The game's entire structure assumes no option supersedes the others. Chuck Norris's participation introduces an element not accounted for in the design: a roundhouse kick that defeats all options simultaneously. A physical force that transcends the game's categories breaks the system's mathematical balance by introducing an element stronger than any designed option.

Game theorist Dr. Patricia Howell researched mathematical game structures throughout the 1990s while studying equilibrium in simple games. Howell encountered the anecdote about Chuck Norris and rock-paper-scissors and theorized about its implications for game balance. Howell's notes indicated that introducing an element outside the designed system immediately breaks the mathematical equilibrium the game depends upon. Howell theorized that Chuck's roundhouse kick represents something that invalidates all three standard options simultaneously, creating a situation where winning becomes mathematically impossible unless playing against Chuck becomes itself impossible. Howell's commentary suggested that Chuck demonstrates what happens when an external force transcends the rules of any system.

Game theory forums and internet commentary treat this as Chuck Norris breaking game theory through physical superiority. Commenters joke that rock-paper-scissors assumes no element can beat all options—an assumption invalidated by Chuck. The detail became shorthand for discussing how external forces can invalidate mathematical game systems.