`Index`

Abilities, 65–67
Abstract pieces, 43
Accumulative prototypes, 197, 198
Achievement aspects, 31
Achievements, 59, 137
Achievers, 25, 26
Action aspects, 30
Action differentiation, 52
Actions
design heuristics for, 69, 70
as job of content designers, 11, 12
mechanics and, 42–44
in model description, 5
in poker example, 4
Action selection, 119
Action set size, 48
Action-social cluster, 32
Action spaces, 27, 46, 49–51, 72
Agency, player, 8, 9, 49, 70, 156–158, 170, 172, 181
Agreeableness, 29, 33
AI and storytelling, 172
Alpha build, 205
Analog prototypes, 199
Analytic complexity, 134
Analytics, tuning based on, 110, 111
Animal population example, 102, 103
Anticipation, 134
Art (visual design and production), 12
Artists, 12
Aspirational game fantasies, 154
Asteroids, 57–59, 136
Autoaim, 58
Autolook, 58
Avatar action, 55
Aven Colony, 173

Balance, 129, 130
Bartle model, 25, 26, 40
Beta build, 206
Big Five model, 28–30, 33, 38
Bioshock, 158
Boehm spiral, 200
Bottom-up design, 7, 104, 105, 108
Branch and merge, 166, 181
Branching choices, 165–168, 181
Branching factor, 48
Breather levels, 175
Broken loops, 88
Buffs, 67
Buildup, 159
Bushy state space, 48
Busywork, 175

Caesar, 173
Caillois taxonomy, 39
Call of Duty, 136
Camera, 55
Candy Crush Saga, 161
Cart Life, 154
Chains of interaction, 85
Challenge escalation, 130, 131
Challenges, loops and, 136
Chaos, 102–104, 112
Chaos theory, 102–104
Character, control mechanics and, 55
Character design, 12
Cheat codes, 179
Checkers, 64, 65
Chess, 43, 44, 46–51, 59–61, 64–67, 71, 132–134, 157, 162, 196
Choice, 69, 158
Choice points, 156, 165
Choice structure, 163–174
Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) books, 156–157, 165, 168
CityVille, 134, 173
Civilization, 19–26, 51, 65, 67, 82, 83, 135, 154, 155, 162, 173
Clone game, 208, 209
Code systems, 82
Combat design, 11
Combat system, 106, 107
Communicating concept, 189, 192, 193
Company of Heroes, 165
Compartmentalization, 110, 172
Complexity, 133, 134
Compound interest, 91, 92
Concept stage, 187–193, 210
Conceptual design, 198
Conflict phase, 98
Congruence, 130
Conscientiousness, 29, 33
Consequence, 69, 70
Consistency, 157–159
Consumables, 68
Content arcs, 151, 159–163, 172, 173
Content-complete game, 206
Content design, 14
Content designers, 11, 12
Context, fantasy and, 154
Continuous reward schedule, 139–141
Continuous velocity, 57
Controlling future action space, 50
Control mechanics, 54–58, 72
Control of avatar, 55, 56–58
Conversation state, 167
Conversion chains, 85, 86
Conversion loops, 85–90, 112
Cookie Clicker, 95
Core loops, 123, 124, 147
Counter Strike, 177
Crafting, 81, 173
Creativity aspects, 31
Creeps, 105–107
Cross-disciplinary groups, 13
Cross-genre games, 36
Crusader Kings, 159
Currencies, 67, 107
Cybernetics, 46, 113

Dance Dance Revolution, 127
Defining rules, 195, 196
Dense state space, 48
Derived mechanics, 71, 72
Design document, 204
Designer’s process, 6–8
Designer’s role, 6
Designer theories, 24–27, 34, 37–39
Design heuristics, 69–71, 73
Design modification, 200
Design pillars, 192
Design process, 2–4
Design summary, 192
Development, overview of stages of, 187, 188, 210
Development of systems, 111
Diablo, 59, 67, 79–82, 85, 120, 121–123, 141, 142, 143, 144
Digital prototypes, 199
Direct progression mechanics, 59
Discipline interactions, 12, 13
Divergent feedback loops, 93
Documenting design, 204
Dominant strategies, 135, 136
Dominoes, 157
Donkey Kong Jr., 57
Downtime, 174, 175
Dragon Age: Origins, 126
Dragon’s Lair, 157
Dungeons & Dragons, 66
Dwarf Fortress, 101, 102
Dynamic ecosystem simulation, 104
Dynamics, 73
Dynamic tuning/difficulty adjustment, 89, 90, 95
Dys4ia, 157

Early access, 188
Early game, 162, 174
Economies, as feedback systems, 103, 104
Economy, 80, 81, 85, 86
Economy design, 11
Elevator pitch, 192
Elo ranking, 130
Emergent behavior, 100–102, 112
Empirical models, 28–34
Enjoyment
analyzing, 21–23
of different game types, 20
different reasons for, 20, 21
further reading on, 38
learning and, 131, 149
as motivation for playing, 20
relative nature of, 21
taxonomy for, 23, 24
Environmental narrative, 155
Episodes, 160–162, 181
EVE Online, 102
Exchange rates, calculating, 86, 87
Excluded actions, 51
Exercises
on elements, 16, 17
on experience, 39, 40
on gameplay, 149, 150
on macrostructure, 182, 183
on mechanics, 75–77
on prototyping, 212
on systems, 113–115
Experience points (XP), 59, 137, 143, 144
Experimental game, 209
Explicit narrative, 155
Exploration, 175
Explorers, 25, 26
Exposition, 155
Extraversion, 29, 33
Extrinsic motivation, 127, 128, 137–145, 148

Façade, 172
Factorio, 124, 125, 173
False choices, 166, 167
Fantasy, 153–155, 181
Fantasy elements, analyzing enjoyment and, 23
FarmVille, 93, 196
Feedback
definition of, 91
negative, 93–95, 99, 100, 112
positive, 91–93, 95–98, 112
Feedback, flow state and, 129
Feedback loops, 85, 91–100, 112
Festivals, 210
Fiction, 153–159, 180, 181, 189
First-person shooter mechanics, 54
First playable, 201, 205
Fixed interval reward schedule, 139–141
Fixed ratio reward schedule, 139–141
Flappy Bird, 136
Flavor choices, 166, 167
Flow, theory of, 26, 27, 128–130, 147
Formal tools, 14, 15
Forward acceleration, 57
Forza Motorsport, 65, 177
Four Factors model, 39
Fully observable game state, 47

Game, definition of, xix–xx
Game artifact, role of, 6
Game designer, term, 11
Game evolution, 134
Game feel mechanics, 58
Game fiction, 153–159, 180, 181, 189
Game genre
action, 20, 55, 56, 101, 111, 123, 133, 136, 161, 165, 174, 190
adventure, 133, 156, 157, 161, 164
arcade, 51, 55, 73, 136, 173, 199
board game, 42, 48, 53, 61, 75, 100, 136, 199
card game, 43, 48, 53, 61, 65, 75, 100, 135, 158, 176, 179, 199
CCG (collectible card game), 43, 53, 135, 176, 177, 199
combat games, 47, 54–56
driving, 65, 123, 136
esports, 132–134, 157, 179
fighting, 42, 51, 52, 55, 56, 195–199
FPS (first-person shooter), 36, 54, 57, 58, 68, 136, 161, 174, 177
gambling, 4, 61, 135, 139, 140, 143, 148
hidden object, 133
horror, 47
IF (interactive fiction), 168
management, 65, 133, 157, 173, 186, 190, 191, 195–197
MMO (massively multiplayer online game), 102–104, 134, 195–197
MUD (multi-user dungeon), 25, 26
multiplayer, 25–28, 97, 100–102, 117, 127, 130, 133, 134, 160, 163, 173, 177–179, 190
open-world, 36, 153, 157, 169–172, 181
puzzle, 47, 133, 164, 165, 169
racing, 20, 54, 68, 94, 100, 127, 132, 177
RPG (role-playing game), 36, 43, 59, 64–66, 68, 78, 85, 95, 99, 126, 151–153, 157, 158, 161, 169–171, 176, 190, 197
RTS (real-time strategy game), 36, 54, 64, 65, 93, 98, 133, 162, 163
sandbox, 36, 156, 157, 174
simulation, 101, 157, 173, 174, 206
single-player, 36, 93–95, 99, 163
sports, 61, 132, 133, 162, 179, 195
strategy game, 20–22, 26, 27, 36, 47, 68, 83, 93, 132–136, 157, 165, 173–176, 206
tower defense, 105, 108, 143
tycoon, 36, 157
war game, 35, 36, 43, 52–54, 61, 64–68, 75, 97, 133, 134, 154, 157, 162, 174, 195–199
Game modding, 176, 179–181
Game pitch, 192, 193
Gameplay
analyzing enjoyment and, 23
concept stage and, 189
definition of, 5, 13, 117
as dynamic activity, 117
example of, 4
exercises on, 149, 150
further reading on, 148, 149
in model description, 5
structuring, 151
summary of, 146, 147
Gameplay loop design heuristics, 145, 146
Gameplay loops, 117–126, 145–148
Game rules, 11
Game state, 4, 46, 47, 72, 167
Gamification, 60, 144, 145
Genre-bending games, 36, 209
Genre games, 209
Genres, 36, 40, 64, 65
Go, 43, 48, 59, 153, 157
Goals, flow state and, 129
God of War, 165
Gold master, 206
Gone Home, 169
Grand Theft Auto, 155, 161
Grinding, 89, 90, 127
Gwent, 199

Halo, 158, 161
Hearthstone, 71, 134, 176, 199
Hidden information, 134
Hidden state, 47
Hubs-and-spokes pattern, 168, 181

Ico, 196
Illusory actions, 51, 52
Immersion aspects, 31
Immersion-creativity cluster, 32
Implementation
of design, 199
intention versus, 8
Indirect progression mechanics, 59, 60
Individual prototypes, 197
In-game prototypes, 146
Input mapping, 56, 57
Integration of systems, 111
Interaction, model of, 5, 6
Interlocking systems, 81–83
Internal state, 46, 91
Intrinsic motivation, 127–136, 148
Intuition pump, 28, 34
Inventory, 80, 81, 85
Isolation, 84
Items, 67, 68
Iterative process, 198–201, 204–205

Jak and Daxter, 168
Jak II, 169
Journey, 55

Katamari Damacy, 165
Kelly guidelines, 193–196, 210
Killers, 25, 26
Koster model, 26, 27

Language metaphor, 44
Late game, 162, 163, 174
Layering, 83, 84, 123–125, 147
Leaderboards, 59, 137, 180
Learning
challenge escalation and, 130, 131
fun of, 26, 27
to overcome uncertainty, 131–135
Learning cliff, 130
Left4Dead, 174
Level curves, 143, 144
Level design, 12
Levels, 59, 137
Linear narrative, 164, 165
Long-term arcs, 173, 174
Long-term challenge, 119, 136
Loop frequencies, 120, 121
Loops, 85–95, 112, 119–126, 131, 145, 146
broken, 88
challenges and, 136
conversion, 85–90, 112
core loops, 123, 124, 147
divergent feedback, 93
feedback, 85, 91–100, 112
frequencies of, 120, 121
gameplay, 117–126, 145–148
mechanic chains and, 85–90, 112
micro, 123, 124, 136
playtesting, 146
profitable, 88–90
unprofitable, 88–90
Loot boxes, 143
Loss conditions, 107
Lotka-Volterra model, 103
Ludonarrative dissonance, 158

Machines, games as, 2, 3, 13
Macrostructure
content arcs and, 159–163
example of, 151–153
exercises on, 182, 183
further reading on, 181, 182
game fiction, 153–159
metagame and, 176–180
narrative patterns, 163–174
pacing, 174, 175
summary of, 180, 181
Magic the Gathering, 43, 53, 69, 134, 135, 176, 195
Maintenance stage, 187, 188
Management games, 65
Manual tuning, 109, 110
Mario Kart, 67
Market, understanding, 188–192
Market comparison, 192
Mastery-achievement cluster, 32
Mastery aspects, 30
Mastery metagame, 176, 177, 181
Maximalism, 66
MDA model, 6, 15, 16
Meaning, fantasy and, 154
Mechanic chains and loops, 85–90, 112
Mechanics
as building blocks, 41–46
composition of, 42–44
control, 55, 72
definition of, 5, 13
derived, 71
design of, 68–72
exercises on, 75–77
explicit, 51–53
families of, 53–68
further reading on, 73–75
game feel, 58
implicit, 51–53
as job of systems designers, 11
Monopoly example for, 46
primary, 71
progression, 54, 58–60, 72
resource management, 54, 63–68, 72
role of, 13, 14
second-order, 71
shared, 81–83
summary of, 72, 73
uncertainty, 54, 60–63, 72
Medium-term challenges, 119, 136
Metagame, 44, 151, 176–181
Micro loop, 123, 124, 136
Microsoft Flight Simulator, 127
Mid game, 162, 174
Minecraft, 154, 162, 192, 194
Minimalism, 66
Missions, 169
Modding, 176, 179–181
Models, for tuning, 110
Modifiers, 67
Monopoly, 41, 42, 45–47, 51, 61, 64, 92, 93, 98, 121–123, 132, 160, 163
Moral panic, 139
Motivation
extrinsic, 127, 128, 137–145, 148
further reading on, 148
intrinsic, 127–136, 148
player, 126–128
theories of, 23–34
Mouselook, 57, 58
Multiplayer mechanics, 55
Music, 10
Myst, 157, 164

Naive taxonomy, 23, 24
Narrative, 153–155, 164, 165
Narrative anticipation, 134
Narrative composition, 168, 169
Narrative patterns, 163–174
branch and merge, 166
branching, 165–168
hubs-and-spokes, 168
linear, 164
Negative feedback, 93–95, 99, 100, 112
Nerfing, 67
Neuroticism, 29, 33
Nonstationary processes, 63
Non-story games, 162, 163
NPC interactions, 155

Objects
in model description, 5
in poker example, 3, 4
One-shot impulse, 57
Onion diagrams, 121–123, 147
Open beta, 188
Openness, 29, 33
Open world adventures, 153
Open worlds, 169–172
Operant conditioning, 138
Outcomes, design heuristics for, 69–71
Overwatch, 157, 177

Pacing, 174, 175, 181
Pac-Man, 55, 208, 209
Paper prototypes, 53, 199
Partially observable game state, 47
Pathfinding system, 107
Perceived action spaces, 50, 51
Perception uncertainty, 133
Performance uncertainty, 133
Pieces, mechanics and, 42–44
Pitch document, 192, 193
Playable demos, 198
Player experience
definition of, 5, 13
description of, 8, 9
exercises on, 39, 40
further reading on, 38, 39
genres and, 36, 40
in model description, 5
in poker example, 4
questions to guide design of, 34, 35, 40
relative nature of, 19–21, 37
summary of, 37
taxonomy for, 39
theories of, 24–34, 37
Player motivation, 126–128
Player psychology, 38
Player’s inputs, 194, 195
Player’s job, 194
Player unpredictability, 133
Playtesting, 199–203, 211
Playtesting loops, 146
Poker, 3–5, 43, 46, 51, 61
Polish phase, 111
Portfolio development, 209–210
Positive feedback, 91–93, 95–98, 112
Postrelease, 187, 188
Power-ups, 67
Practice of game design, 10–13, 16
Predator and prey models, 103
Predictability, 70, 130, 131, 135, 173
Preproduction stage, 187, 196, 210, 211
Presentation elements, analyzing enjoyment and, 23, 24
Primary mechanics, 71
Prince of Persia, 55
Production, 187, 205–207, 211
Production process, role of tuning in, 111
Production stages, 188
Profitable loops, 88–90
Programming, 12
Progression mechanics, 54, 58–60, 72, 137, 138, 145–147
Project Highrise, 186–192, 197, 204, 207
Prototypes
accumulative, 197, 198
analog, 199
digital, 199
individual, 197
in-game, 146
necessity of, 7
paper, 53, 199
playable, 197, 198
stand-alone, 146
system, 84
Prototyping
description of, 185
example of, 186, 187
exercises on, 212
further reading on, 211
iterative process for, 198–201, 204–205
Kelly guidelines and, 196, 210
place of in production stages, 196, 197
scaling scope of, 208, 209
stage for, 187
student, 207–210
summary of, 210, 211

Quake, 195
Quest-giver NPC, 169
Quest item, 172
Quests, 168–172, 181

Racing mechanics, 54
Randomness, 61–63, 100, 132, 133
Raw resources, 68
Real life uncertainty, 134
Real-time strategy mechanics, 54, 64
Reinforcement, 139
Release, 187, 188
Release candidate builds, 206
Release to manufacturing build, 206
Resistance to extinction, 139
Reskin, 208, 209
Resolution phase, 98, 160–162
Resource conversion, 86, 87
Resource diagrams, 85, 86
Resource management mechanics, 54, 63–68, 72
Resource types, 195
Response rate, 139
Reuse, 84
Rewards, 137–142
Reward schedules, 138–142, 147, 148
Risk, 68
Risk reduction, 207
Roblox, 178
Role-playing games, 65
Rollercoaster Tycoon, 157
Rome: Total War, 153, 194
Rotational position, 58
Rotational velocity, 57, 58
Roulette, 61, 135
Rubber-banding, 94, 100
Rules, 4, 42–44

Sandbox games, 156
Satisfaction, 70, 71
Scaling, 84
Score points, 59, 137
Scriptwriting elements, 10
Second-order mechanics, 71
Self-determination theory, 38
Set point, 91
Setting, 10, 82
Settlers of Catan, 43
Setup, 159–161
Short-term challenges, 119
Shuffling, 61–63
SimCity series, 19, 20, 65, 154, 196
Sims, The, 27, 59, 118, 119, 121–125, 153, 157, 177, 178, 194
Simulated worlds, 173–174
Simulations, for tuning, 110
Skill uncertainty, 133
Snakes and Ladders, 69, 158
Social aspects, 30
Socializers, 25, 26
Social metagame, 176–181
Solver’s uncertainty, 133
Soul Calibur, 55
Sound design/designers, 10, 13
Space, as resource, 68
Space Invaders, 64, 67, 136
Spaces
action, 27, 46, 49–51, 72
bushy state, 48
controlling future action, 50
dense state, 48
perceived action, 50, 51
size of state, 48
sparse state, 48
state, 27, 46–53, 72
Sparse state space, 48
Spawner, 106
Stand-alone prototypes, 146
Standard tactics, 71
StarCraft, 51, 64, 93, 95–97, 98, 157, 165, 173
Stardew Valley, 93
State
branching and, 167, 168
open worlds and, 171
State space, 27, 46–53, 72
State space size, 48
Stationary random processes, 61–63
Stats, 66, 67
Story, 153, 155–157
Story arc, 160–162, 181
Story development, 10
Story elements, analyzing enjoyment and, 23, 24
Storytelling AI, 172
Structuring gameplay, 151
Student prototyping, 207–210
Sudoku, 157
Super Mario 64, 168
Super Mario Bros., 55–57
Super Monkey Ball, 94
Supply chains, 103, 104
System prototypes, 84
Systems
code, 82
definition of, 81
design of, 104–108
development of individual, 111
Diablo example and, 79–81
exercises on, 113–115
feedback, 91–100
further reading on, 113
integration of, 111
interlocking, 81–83
loops and, 125, 126
mechanic chains and loops and, 85–90, 112
setting and, 82
summary of, 111–113
thinking in, 84
tuning of, 108–111
Systems-complete demo, 205
Systems design/designers, 11, 14

Taxonomies, 23, 24, 39, 74
Technical design, 10
Tech trees, 173
Tekken, 51, 52, 55, 196
Terraria, 162
Tetris, 153, 194–196
Thermostat example, 93
Three-act model, 159, 160, 162, 163, 181
Throwaways, 197
Tic-tac-toe, 48–50, 135
Tomb Raider, 157, 161, 194
Top-down design, 7, 105–108
Trainers, 179
Transitions, 47, 48
Triaging notes from playtest, 203
Tropico, 173
Tuning the game, 108–113
Tuning values, 86–88

Ultima Online, 104
Uncertainty
of actions, 70
learning to overcome, 131–135
types of, 132–135
Uncertainty mechanics, 54, 60–63, 72
Uncharted, 55
Understanding concept, 188–190
Uniform distribution, 61
Units, 64–67
Unprofitable loops, 88–90
Unrecognized action, 51
Upton heuristics, 69–73
Urgency, 194
User-centered game design, 3
User interface, 10, 12
User personas, 27, 28, 34, 37, 40
User stories, 105–108, 112, 145

Validating concept, 188–192
Variable interval reward schedule, 139–141
Variable ratio reward schedule, 139–142
Variant games, 209
Variety, 69
Vertical slice, 206
Victory conditions, 107
Virtual pieces, 43
Visual design, 9, 10, 12, 16

War (card game), 158
War game combat mechanics, 54, 64
War of attrition, 98
Whiteboxing, 198
Witcher, The, 151–161, 169–172
Workload, changing, 142–144
World design, 12
Writers, 12, 13

Yee’s gamer motivation profiles, 30–34, 37–39, 40