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Some Elements are Game Mechanics

The mechanics are the "nuts and bolts" of game design, and one of the most important elements of the game: aesthetics, story, and technology can be stripped away or changed, and the essence of the game will remain in the mechanical elements.

The author suggests that there are numerous taxonomies of game mechanics, and they are all to some degree incomplete - and he expects his own taxonomy in this chapter is incomplete, but it should hit some of the main components.

Rules

The rules of a game are the most fundamental mechanic. They define the space, objects, actions, and consequences.

The author defines eight types of rules:

  1. Operational - the basic rules of the game that give the player knowledge of what must be done to play the game (press start, roll the dice, etc.)
  2. Foundational - More abstract rules that indicate what actions are taken, and what the consequences of those actions are
  3. Behavioral - These are generally the unwritten rules of good sportsmanship and fair play (such as not punching your opponent in the game of chess) that are seldom stated explicitly
  4. Written rules - The written rules are a document, a kind of contract that the players must read and agree upon to participate in the game. Sometimes, they must be read in advance; other times, they can be learned on the fly. A common theme in complex computer games is to offer a tutorial.
  5. Laws - Are generally employed in tournament settings or competitive sports (the weight of a baseball bat, prohibition of steroid use, etc.), usually geared toward making the competition fair for all players.
  6. Official Rules - A merger of written rules and laws that often emerge over time, when a game is played competitively in many arenas.
  7. Advisory rules - are strategy suggestions. They are not rules so much as hints for better gameplay.
  8. House rules - Changes made to the rules of the game, upon the agreement of the players, that may sometimes become part of the official rules.

One of the main difference between video games and traditional ones is that rules are enforced by the game itself - players need not watch each other, or designate an official to enforce fair play. For example, if you move a rook diagonally in a chess game, the other player must catch and correct the mistake; whereas in a computer chess game, the piece simply cannot be moved in that direction.

The most important "rule" is the object of the game - the conditions by which the game is won. It's important for the objective to be clear and easy to understand. To a lesser degree, it is important for the goal to be challenging but achievable.

Space

Every game takes place in a given space - a board, a field, a virtual environment.

Arguably, some games do not have a defined space - a guessing-game such as "twenty questions" does not have a physical space. Arguably, you could try to associate it to physical space (the author suggests and imagined "list" with spaces for questions and answers) , but I can accept that in rare cases, there is not a board or field for a game.

Objects, Attributes, and States

An empty board does not a game make - there must be objects within that place: props, tokens, scoreboards, and other things that can be acted upon or manipulated in the course of playing the game.

The objects in the game have attributes (properties) taht may be fixed or mutable (e.g., the motion of a checker is diagonally and in one direction, but that changes when it becomes a "king"). The author does a sloppy dance around this topic - but I think that if you understand objects in the programmatic sense,, methods, and states are familiar concepts.

Of particular importance to a game is the amount of information available to the player - the existence of an object, or its properties and methods. If too much is withheld, the player is bewildered or feels the rules of the game are arbitrary. At the same time, a game is more compelling of the objects and their properties are not revealed all at once and the player "discovers" them as the game progresses. In some games (such as poker, or battleship), guessing at unknowns is a critical element of the game.

The number of objects in the game is also worth considering. The example given is that if the game of chess were played with only a king on each side, it would not be a very engaging game.

Actions

The actions are the "verbs" of a game - what the objects in the gae "do" (move, shoot, die). Actions are often tied to the object (certain objects are capable of doing certain things) and are often the focus of the rules of a game (what the player is permitted to do).

The author differentiates between operative actions (what the player does) and resultant actions (what happens as a consequence).

Carefully consider the number of actions. If there's not much a player can do, or if too much is compulsory, the game is not engaging. Too many, and it becomes difficult to understand. By their nature, most games provide only a few actions (tic-tac-toe), whereas others have a mugh wider range of possibilities (role-playing games).

Consider the variety of objects an action can be performed on: in some games, a gun can only be used to shoot an enemy; in others, you can shoot a lock to open a door, shoot a window to clear a path, shoot a tire to disable a vehicle, and various other actions.

Consider actions as they relate to goals. Is it possible to do things that are not in the story line? Can you do things that don't relate to the current goal? Can the goal be achieved in more than one way?

Consider the precipitating effect of actions. For example, in the game of checkers, once a move is made, it makes the adjoining spaces "unsafe" for your opponent - thereby changing the nature of the playing field with each move.

As with properties, the action of an object may be disclosed, or it may be discovered. This is much more difficult to balance in some instances. The example the author uses is text-based games that don't provide a list of all the verbs you may type - especially if an obstacle could only be overcome by an unusual action (throw the bid, tickle the monkey), players became frustrated and gave up.

Actions are a primary consideration when a player approaches a new game. If the actions the player can take are similar to those in a game he has previously played, it is likely he will consider the game to be a derivative or a clone, and may lose interest quickly.

Skill

When its' said that a game is "challenging," it is meant that the game challenges the player's skills. It's also worth noting that the game helps to develop the player's skills, just through playing the game.

Skills are sorted into three categories:

  1. Physical skills - most important at sports, but video games rely dexterity, speed, and coordination in manipulating the controller or keyboard.
  2. Mental skills - include memory, observation, and creative problem-solving.
  3. Social Skills - Include the ability affect the behavior of others, which can be practiced in a positive way (deal-making in Monopoly) or a negative one (bluffing an opponent in Poker)

There is some discussion ion "virtual skills" - the skills of the player's avatar (in a fantasy game, the character controlled by the player gains the ability to do things better - inflict more damage, move quickly, etc.)

It is suggested that you disclose the skills a player will need to be successful at a game. You may get fewer players (or sales) if you indicate your game involves/requires memory skills, but those who play the game will be more adept at it, and will generally be more satisfied with their experience.

Chance

Randomness and probability both factor heavily into video games. Since a game is a computer program, it has a degree of mathematical certainty, and if no element of the game is random, the player will quickly see through the model to the mathematics, learn to easily defeat the game, and lose interest.

Casino games are good models of mathematical probability, and their evolution suggests player preference: the games that have survived through the years have a reasonable balance of risk/reward - those weighted too heavily to the house's advantage seldom persist.

Tips for programming chance:

A few comments of the difference between skill and chance - but fundamentally, it comes down to this: if an outcome depends entirely on random probability, it is chance. IF the player can influence outcomes in his favor without manipulating the mechanics of the game, it's skill.

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