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What are Game Mechanics?
Game mechanics are rules and systems that dictate a game’s function and how players interact with it. How a game works and how it affects the player are among the most important factors in the design and creation of a video game.
Players who wonder what game mechanics are have likely experienced them without realizing, as they are present in every video game we play. The system varies greatly depending on the genre, such as TPSs and sandboxes, and the platform it is played through, such as Xbox or PlayStation.
Techopedia presents everything you need to know about game mechanics.
Key Takeaways
- Game mechanics are the rules and systems that influence how players interact with video games
- Gameplay mechanics date back to the 1950s and continue to develop with new titles.
- Popular mechanics are featured in FPS, platformers, and fighting games.
- The best way to improve mechanics is to use a VPN and use a wired connection.
- Some mechanics encourage replayability, whilst others can be unbalanced or repetitive.
History of Game Mechanics
Game design mechanics have changed throughout the decades, from the early fundamentals in the 1950s and 1960s to the more complicated works of today. The full timeline goes over the events.
The history of gaming is extensive; check out who invented gaming and the full history of games to learn more.
How do Game Mechanics Work?
Pinpointing a Game Mechanics definition can be tricky because of the many intricacies and factors that are involved in video games. They can affect gaming in many different ways from visuals, controls, audio, and story.
The Structure of Video Games Can Be Defined By Five Elements
Games should allow players to interact with their systems, like moving a character, selecting answers, or solving puzzles. These actions are usually controlled by buttons or commands.
Rules should be in place to establish how the game works, such as movement speed, outgoing damage, or how points are earned.
Video game mechanics should be influenced by or respond to player actions. For example, hitting an enemy might cause them to lose health or drop an item. This lets players gauge success.
Objectives need to be in place such as goals (like collecting coins or defeating enemies) and challenges (like tricky puzzles or bosses) that the player must overcome.
Many games use mechanics to gradually increase difficulty or unlock new abilities, making the game more challenging or rewarding as players progress.
Mechanics and their application will vary depending on the genre and the intended gameplay. In the end, a game’s mechanics should seek to enhance the experience.
Types of Game Mechanics
For years, developers have debated what exactly defines mechanics in gaming, and a general consensus has yet to be reached. However, we have compiled a few common factors.
Here is every type of mechanic in games:
Quantity
Quantity refers to mechanics that are represented by a numerical value. They serve to inform the player.
| Type | Examples | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Resource |
|
Players use these to measure their level of success as they progress. |
| Currency |
|
Players earn these as a reward and can spend them on items for personal benefit. |
| Abstract |
|
Continuously passes to help progress the game or help players plan ahead. |
Spatial
Spatial refers to video game mechanics that fill or affect physical space and influence how players interact with the game.
| Type | Examples | Application |
|---|---|---|
| World |
|
Refers to assets that dictate how players navigate or change the world around them. |
| Tangible |
|
These allow the game to respond to the player’s actions or desires. |
| Intangible |
|
Allows players to manage items they encounter and determine individual value. |
State
State refers to the mechanics of a game that change or apply additional rules. They serve to create an effect or reaction to the player’s actions.
| Type | Examples | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Action |
|
Environmental influences change how players move or interact within the game world. |
| Effect |
|
Factors that take away resources or add new conditions to empower or weaken the player. |
| Game |
|
Stages that begin, end, and progress a game in response to player input. |
| Object |
|
Objects in-game change in response to player action to give a sense of agency in the world. |
Action
Action refers to mechanics that force or influence change. They allow the player to interact with the game.
| Type | Examples | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Resource |
|
Factors that change over time as players continue to influence the game. |
| World |
|
Actions that take effect in direct response to player input to further interact with the world. |
| Object |
|
Forcing a change or status to achieve a goal through player input. |
Popular Game Mechanics
When you look through the games available in the current market, you can see common tropes included in certain games, which is how games are classified into different genres.
First Person Shooters (FPS)
- Aiming and Shooting: Players aim their weapons and shoot at enemies to damage them.
- Cover System: Players can hide behind objects to avoid enemy fire and recover health.
- Weapon Upgrades: Customizing or upgrading weapons to improve performance.
- Ammo Management: Players must manage a limited supply of ammunition through reloads.
- Multiplayer Modes: Team-based or free-for-all combat against other players online.
Examples include Call of Duty, Overwatch, Apex Legends, and Counter-Strike.
Check out our first-person shooter definition to learn more.
Role-Playing Game (RPG)
- Leveling Up: Characters gain experience points (XP) to improve stats and abilities.
- Skill Trees: Players unlock and upgrade abilities through a branching system.
- Quest Systems: Players complete the main story or side quests to earn rewards.
- Turn-Based Combat: Players and enemies take turns making moves in combat.
- Dialogue Choices: Interacting with NPCs (non-playable characters) through conversation.
Examples include Fallout, The Witcher, Elden Ring, and Cyberpunk 2077.
Learn more from our RPG definiton on Techopedia
Platformers
- Jumping and Movement: Precision jumps across platforms are necessary to progress.
- Power-Ups: Items that grant temporary abilities to empower or change gameplay.
- Environments: Can feature environmental changes such as flying or swimming.
- Timed Challenges: Completing levels within a time limit to pose a challenge.
- Checkpoints: Players restart from certain points when they die or fail.
Examples include Super Mario, Sonic, Crash Bandicoot, and Shovel Knight.
For more, read our Sonic X Shadow Generations review and Astro Bot review.
Fighting Games
- Combo Systems: Precisely executing combo strings to maximize damage.
- Blocking and Parrying: Defending against enemy attacks by blocking or countering.
- Special Moves: Powerful, character-specific moves that require precise inputs to execute.
- Stamina or Special Meter: A gauge that fills overtime to spend on special attacks.
- Rounds/Matches: The first player to win a certain number of rounds claims victory.
Examples include Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, and Guilty Gear.
Check out our list of the best fighting games to find out which titles to play in 2024.
4 Ways to Improve Game Mechanic Performance
You can improve the performance of your game mechanics in four simple ways.
- Use one of the best VPNs to ensure safe and secure online play.
- Enable Game Mode on your PC to push the performance of your system for higher frame rates.
- Use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi for the most consistent online performance.
- Upgrade RAM, SSD, or graphics card for a smoother gaming experience.
We also recommend researching guides online and practicing in any featured training/practice mode to gauge a better understanding of how games function.
Game Mechanics Pros and Cons
Gameplay mechanics make games increasingly more advanced and exciting to play, but developers need to tread carefully. Some mechanics can elevate the experience, while others can hinder it.
- Well-designed mechanics keep players engaged and motivated.
- Mechanics create a sense of achievement by balancing difficulty with rewards.
- Unique or dynamic mechanics can encourage replayability.
- Deepen immersion by making gameplay more interactive.
- Some mechanics are poorly balanced.
- Overused mechanics can quickly become stale.
- Too many mechanics can often overwhelm players.
- Some mechanics create a high learning curve.
The Bottom Line
Game mechanics are the rules that shape a video game and dictate how players interact with its systems. These mechanics are implemented in a variety of ways in order to create unique experiences to stand out from competitors and incentivise players to engage with the game.
A game mechanics definition is simply too broad to narrow down to a simple explanation, but this article breaks down the core fundamentals that affect players the most, from how players navigate the games to how they progress through gameplay.
