LAFS Game Mechanics - The Core Mechanic

Level 1
David Mullich
Game Mechanics
The Los Angeles Film School

Class Topics
1. Core Mechanics
2. Progression Mechanics
3. Tactical Mechanics
4. Resource Management Mechanics
5. Social Mechanics
6. Information and Game Mechanics
7. Randomness and Game Mechanics
8. Narrative and Game Mechanics
9. Balancing Game Mechanics
10. Replayability and Game Mechanics

Class Grading
 20%: 10 Labs
 30%: 10 Assignments
 30%: 3 Tests
 20%: Professionalism*
2% Extra Credit for playtesting Game Fair games
* 35%+ absences is an automatic fail.

Labs
Game development is a team sport. Each of
your labs is a group assignment in which
everyone must participate.

Come Prepared
Having one of these is
a minimum
requirement.
At all times.

Assignments
Do your homework assignments on the LMS
(Learning Management System).

Word Counts
Word counts are there for a reason.
Use them wisely and avoid:
 Padding
 Going off topic
 Repeating yourself
 Padding by stating the obvious in a way that
takes quite a lot of words but really isn’t
saying anything new
 Repeating yourself but in a different way
 Padding, wadding, lining, extemporising,
extraneous content or going on any other
kind of Synonym Safari TM

Deliver Work On Time
Develop a habit of delivering work
on time.
In the game industry, when work is
late, people don’t get paid.
Pssst....Sometimes developers make false
internal deadlines to avoid calamity such
as missed milestone payments. Maybe you
could do the same if graduation is at
stake?

Tests
 Study for your tests! Refer to the
slides.
 If you see on a slide, it will
probably be on the test.
 If you don’t know the answer to a test
question, guess!
 There are no points deducted for wrong
answers on multiple-choice questions
 I will award some points for clever or
knowledgeable answers on short-answer
questions, even if they weren’t the answer
I was looking for.

First Rule of Success: Show Up
 DON’T BE TARDY
But if you know you will be
late, EMAIL ME!
 DON’T BE ABSENT
But if you know you will be
gone, EMAIL ME!

School Is Your Job
Yes, these are important:
 Part-time work
 Family
 Friends
 Fun
But don’t neglect your school work!

Impressions
Your colleagues and
faculty will most likely
be your doorway into
the industry.
How do you want them
to think of you?
ZERO HERO

Game Mechanic
 Action: What players actually do in the
game
 Purpose: The reason why players are
doing it

The Core Mechanic(s)
The action(s) that the player uses most
frequently to progress in the game.

Examples of Core Mechanics
Game Core Action Core Purpose
Chess Position pieces to capture opponent’s pieces
Candy Crush Match 3 pieces to destroy them
Tetris Rotate pieces to create lines
Super Smash Bros Attack to knock opponent back
Doom Run and shoot to kill enemies
World of Warcraft Kill to earn experience

 Write down an activity of any kind – related
to work, school, fun, chores, anything.
 Come up with a verb, based on this activity,
that you think would make a good basis for
a game.
 Identify:
 Core Action
 Core Purpose

The Core Loop
ACTION
Actual Action
of the
Mechanic
REWARD
Reward for
Executing the
Action
TRIGGER
Event that
Triggers the
Action

Behavior Psychology
Volition: The power of
using one's will.
Operant Conditioning:
A type of learning
where behavior, or
volition is controlled
by consequences. B.F. Skinner

Reward Ratios
Frequency Effectiveness
Constant (Fixed) Poor
Intermittent (Fixed) Good
Random (Variable) Best

Does a fixed reward or a variable reward
produce the highest rate of activity?

Does Behavioral Conditioning Work On
People?

Reward Ratios In Games
A player must shoot down approximately 20
enemy fighters to gain an extra ship, but the
precise number is randomly generated each
time.

Reinforcement with Extrinsic
Rewards
 Primary Conditioners:
A reward that satisfies
a biological need.
 Secondary
Conditioners: A
reward associated
with a primary reward.

What Would Be A Primary And Secondary
Conditioner In Games?

Chain Schedule
What happens if there are multiple stages to
the reward?
Example: Kill 10 orcs and take each one’s loot
before entering the dragon’s cave, where it is
guarding a treasure.

Extinction
What happens if you stop providing the
reward?
Example: The player suddenly stops
receiving gold for killing orcs.

Avoidance
What happens if the reward is to keep bad
things from happening?
 Ultima Online: Visit house to prevent
decay.
 Farmville: Harvest crops before they wither.

Behavioral Contrast
What happens if expectations change?
 Player receives 1 gold coin for killing orcs, and
then later starts receiving 10 gold cold coins.
 Reward is then switched back from 10 gold coins
to 1 gold coin.

The Skinner Box
Extra Credits: How Games Condition Us To Play More

What Was The Main Message Of This
Video?

What Are Better Ways Of Fostering
Engagement in Games?

Intrinsic Rewards
 Flow
 Mental Challenge
 Mastery
 Mystery
 Narrative
 Novelty

Remember This?
Novelty
The Five Domains Of Play
Challenge Stimulation Harmony Threat

Mechanics and Structure Elements
Mechanics:
 Allowed by Procedures
 Follow Rules
 Consume or Produce Resources
 Impeded by Challenge
 Occur within Boundaries

Procedures
 Starting Action
 Progression of Action
 Special Actions
 Resolving Actions

Resources “Fuel” And Are Produced By
Actions

Movement
The action of moving game elements within
the game boundaries.

Why Designers Use Movement
 Game World Navigation
 Progress Indicator
 Dexterity-Based Actions
 Puzzle Solving
 Supports Race, Capture, Stealth, Herd,
Delivery, Traverse, Collection goals

Movement Design Characteristics
 What Can Move?
 How Does It Move?
 What Can Enhance
Movement?
 What Can Limit
Movement?
Design Analysis: Movement Characteristics

Focus Loci
The game elements through which the
player’s actions are taken.
In-World
Avatars
In-World
Units
Beyond
World
God’s
Finger
Physical
Component
s
Cards, Dice

Why Designers Use Focus Loci
 Cognitive Immersion
 Spatial Immersion
 Sensory-Motor
Immersion
 Area Control
 Ownership Design Analysis: Focus Loci Uses

Focus Loci Design Characteristics
 In/Beyond World
 Number
 Actions
 Attributes
 Persistence
 Camera Perspective
(Avatars)
 Personality (Avatars)
Design Analysis: Focus Loci
Characteristics

Lives
The number of chances a player has in a play
session before it is terminated.

Why Designers Use Lives
 Balance Game Elements:
 Threat
 Combat
 Session Length
 Balance Game Goals:
 Survival
 Last Man Standing
 King of the Hill (with elimination)

Life Design Characteristics
 Causes for Loss
 Consequences
 Number of Lives
 Replenishment
Design Analysis: Lives Characteristics

Obstacles
Game elements that hinder players from
taking the shortest route in the game.

Obstacle Design Characteristics
 Paths Blocked
 Size
 Inaccessible Area
Boundary
 How Bypassed
 Other Penalties
Design Analysis: Obstacle Characteristics

Why Designers Use Obstacles
 Game World Navigation Paths
 Non-Deadly Movement Limitations

Deadly Traps
Game events that kill avatars and units if they
are within the trap’s area of effect.

Deadly Trap Design Characteristics
 Effects
 Time Delay
 Detection
 Trap is visible and effects are
clear
 Trap and effects can be
detected by examination
 Trap and effects can’t be
detected before activation
Design Analysis: Deadly Trap
Characteristics

Why Designers Use Deadly Traps
 Deadly Movement Limitations
 Inaccessible Area Limitations

Inaccessible Areas
Parts of the game world that the player can
perceive but cannot currently enter.

Inaccessible Area Design
Characteristics
 How Blocked
 What Has Access
 When Is It Accessible
 Affecting Actions
Design Analysis: Inaccessible Area
Characteristics

Why Designers Use Inaccessible
Areas
 Movement Limitations
 Enlarge Game World

Privileged Abilities
Abilities that let players perform actions not
readily available to all other players.

Timing of Privileged Actions
 Beginning of Game or Turn
 During Game or Turn
 During Particular Time Intervals
 With Power-Ups and Other Game
Elements

Privileged Ability Design
Characteristics
 What Action
 Which Focus Loci
 When Usable
 What Players
 Team Play Impact
Design Analysis: Spellcasting
Characteristics

Why Designers Use Privileged
Abilities
 Balances Movement, Combat, and
Construction

Budgeted Action Points
Resource used to determine what and how many
actions can be performed during a player’s turn.

Budgeted Action Points Design
Characteristics
 Actions
 How Budgeted
Design Analysis: Budget Action Points
Characteristics

Why Designers Use Budgeted Action
Points
 Balance Movement
 Balance Privileged Abilities

Survive
Trying to avoid being killed by the actions of
other players and events in the game.

Survive Goal Characteristics
 Surviving Elements
 Danger
 Avoidance
 Consequences of Death
 Lives Design Analysis: Survival
Characteristics

Traverse
The goal to try to move a game element from
one position in the game to another.

Traverse Goal Characteristics
 Which Element
 Game Space Paths
 How Does It Move?
 Known Goal Point
Location?
Design Analysis: Traverse
Characteristics

Choose one of the following games to play:
 En Garde (2p, 20-30m)
 Forbidden Desert (2-5p, 45m) *
 Hey, That’s My Fish! (2-4p, 20m)
 Lost Cities (2-6p, 30-60m)
 Space Alert (1-5p, 30m)

Group Quest
Design an analog game prototype based on
mechanics supporting one of the following goals:
 Survive
 Traverse

Maneuvering
Controlling the movement of game objects in
real-time games.

Maneuvering Design Characteristics
 Obstacles or Pick-Ups
 Speed
 Number
Design Analysis: Meneuvering
Characteristics

What Is The Difference Between Moving
And Maneuvering?

Why Designers Use Maneuvering
 Game World Navigation
 Dexterity-Based Actions
 Spatial Immersion

The Mechanics of Movement
Game Maker’s Toolkit

Design a maneuvering mechanic on the LMS.

LAFS Game Mechanics - The Core Mechanic

LAFS Game Mechanics - The Core Mechanic

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