Game Mechanics

One of the first things that designers attempt to do with a new design is outline the mechanics of the game. Specifically, they’re trying to determine what players will be doing throughout the game and how they’ll accomplish it.

Table top game players may know some main mechanics like roll (dice) and move; placing tiles; or drafting cards.

Video game players know many mechanics like directional movement through a space using thumb sticks (first person shooters) or choosing dialogue choice options (role playing games).

But what are mechanics really? How do game designers use mechanics in practice? How can educators use games mechanics for creating games for learning?

This article will review what game mechanics are as well as how players interact and interpret them. Game designers’ roles with creating and using mechanics will be discussed as well as how mechanics are used for games-based learning and educational gaming. Lastly, this article will close on what designers should avoid when designing mechanics for their games.

What are game mechanics?

So what exactly are game mechanics? Game mechanics represent some of the most rudimentary building blocks for creating games. They utilize the rules and structures of games that create the engaging experience for the player and the learner.

Game mechanics are the rules and procedures that guide players through the game. These mechanics also provide the structure for how the game reacts to players’ actions. The main mechanic represents the game’s core loop as well as provides the main feedback loop for players.

This is a very high level definition of game mechanics. Though, mechanics can also be broken down more thoroughly into different actions, processes, and visuals. Those different parts represent abstracted characteristics the game is trying to represent.

For example, let’s think about movement of a horse in a table top game. The player can move the horse throughout a space when they play a card from their hand that indicates “move three spaces.” That card is called “Sprint.” A player’s full hand consists of a total of five cards. One of those cards is called “Sprint.” The rest of the cards are called “Trot” where the horse can only move one space.

This mechanic of playing cards from the player’s hand to move the horse on the board represents a core loop of a fictional horse racing game. The cards represent abstracted versions of the horse’s energy to sprint a distance. The rest represent the horse’s ability to trot at a slower space.

This example also represents one of the key features of game mechanics. Mechanics control only one basic part of the game. For this example: the horse’s movement is controlled by the player’s use of cards. The game’s rules can make it so that 1) a horse can only move when a player plays cards from their hand and 2) players can only play one card at a time. In this way, the use of playing cards represents the demonstration of a movement rule in the game.

The game can then evolve through the use of this main core mechanic. A player may add cards or remove cards from their hand to change the speed of their horse’s movement. Changing the ways that these cards can be added or removed from a player’s hand represents two things. One: it presents ANOTHER mechanic in the game: hand building. Now player are given even more agency as they can choose HOW to play cards to move their horse as well as what KINDS of cards they can add or remove from their hand. Both represent ways in which players can make meaningful decisions.

Players and game mechanics

A good way to remember the central role that mechanics play in game design is to summarize the main way that the player will interact with the game environment. Mechanics are a way for players to achieve game goals, take player actions, and advance strategies to help them progress throughout the game.

Scrabble’s main mechanic of drawing and placing letters on the board demonstrates to players how they can score points to win the game. By doing so they learn that less frequent letters like “Q” and “P” can earn them more points – so they should look for more opportunities to play them. Though this, players learn the emergent strategy of Scrabble by playing the game.

Game mechanics represent ways that players can interact with the game. They can also represent the ability for players to enjoy themselves; have fun; and be continually motivated to keep playing. This fun factor is important for commercial entertainment games – as they are necessary for players to have fun and keep playing.

Though, game mechanics also need to provide constraint as well as give players agency. Sometimes those constraints are added so that more experienced players gain additional nuance and control from the game so that they continue to play them. Other reasons might be to promote fair play and balance. Both of which represent decisions in the hands of designers.

Game designers role in game mechanics

Game designers are responsible for not only creating mechanics in their games but also making sure that multiple levels of mechanics work together. Using the horse racing game as an example, sometimes that means having mechanics influence one another.

Street Fighter was one of my earliest fighting games. Of course you could move your character across the screen using your directional pad. But pressing a series of directional buttons and in a row allowed you to perform a special move (i.e. hurricane kick). The combination of mechanics for punching, kicking, and moving represented a layering of different mechanics used to achieve special moves and combos. Both of which added an additional layer of complexity in the game for players to master as well as made it a more enjoyable experience.

Because of this, it is also helpful to think about mechanics as game rules in two levels: what CAN players do and what players CANNOT do. Using the Street Fighter example players can move across the screen using the directional pad. But by performing a special action like the hurricane kick, they can move across the screen WHILE attacking. This is something that the character cannot do with the normal move mechanic; but something that they CAN do with the special move.

By adding this additional level of player interaction through this layering of mechanics, designers can create a variety of ways for players to engage and play their games. This variety gives players both autonomy and competency: two factors necessary for players to remain intrinsically motivated to continue playing.

Though, sometimes that intrinsic motivation isn’t enough. This is especially true for learning games, educational games, games-based learning, and serious games. That means that games used for learning must take into account special considerations when designing their game mechanics.

Games mechanics and learning

Game mechanics at face value need to be considered for how a player will engage and play a game. But, different factors must be taken into account when considering learning outcomes for players.

That’s because game mechanics represent the bulk of the player experience. More so when mechanic is the core loop for players. That means the core game mechanic also represents much of the learning experience.

Because of this, learning games must associate the key learning outcomes with the game’s core loop. To do so, designers must create games that clearly link player actions in game mechanics with the desired learning outcome.

An example of this would be a professional training seminar focusing on closing a job interview. Players represent the interviewee who is asked to provide follow up questions during the job interview.

The main learning outcome here is to make sure that the candidate provides questions that are meaningful and related to the job. That means that high quality questions would continue the simulation with the interviewer.

However, if the players don’t ask questions or ask off topic questions, then that could cause the conversation to end prematurely. A structure like this incentivizes players to continue asking pointed and relevant question so as to keep the interview engaging and fruitful.

For games-based learning, it’s also important to codify and present students and players with forms of assessment, points, and rewards. This represents their progression and learning in the game.

Unlike games for entertainment; serious game players should also receive feedback and debriefing about their play experience as a normal part of the educational process. This is important when using self-determination theory to motivate players. They must know that actions taken in the game were helpful in assisting them reach both the game’s goals as well as the learning outcomes through their own actions.

What to avoid with game mechanics

Of course, game mechanics represent the bulk of the play experience and a focal element for game designers. But game design is not about throwing a bunch of mechanics together and hope that they stick. Rather, designers and educators have to consider the basic mechanics of their game and how they relate to both player goals and learning outcomes.

That means that that successful serious games should have a solid and repeatable core mechanic and makes sense. Ideally this should make sense within the game theme as well provide students and players feedback on their progression. Other (auxiliary) mechanics can be added on top of this “core loop” in order to provide the game more flavor, interesting decisions, and diversity of player choices (i.e. the Street Fighter special moves).

Takeaways

This article reviewed game mechanics as ways for players to engage with the game within its rules and structure. Game mechanics were discussed in addition to how players interact with them and the roles that designers have in creating them. Game mechanics were covered in their use for games-based learning. Tips were shared on how to avoid some negative consequences in mechanic design.

This article was about game mechanics in games-based learning. To learn more about mechanics in gamification, check out the free course on Gamification Explained.

Dave Eng, EdD

Managing Partner

dave@universityxp.com

www.universityxp.com

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Cite this Article

Eng, D. (2020, February 06). Game Mechanics. Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2020/2/6/game-mechanics

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