Game Mechanics is a deep-dive into the systems and structures that power interactive gameplay. Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans provide a rigorous framework for understanding, analyzing, and designing dynamic, emergent, and balanced game systems using formal modeling techniques, especially through their custom tool, Machinations.
Key Sections & Themes
1️⃣ Understanding Game Mechanics as Systems
- Game mechanics are systems of rules that create player interaction and feedback.
- The book treats games as dynamic systems composed of state changes, loops, and resource flows.
2️⃣ Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA)
- MDA framework helps analyze how game systems lead to emotional responses.
- Mechanics → Dynamics → Aesthetics forms a pipeline from design to player experience.
3️⃣ Core Game Loops and Feedback
- Loops are essential: progression loops (leveling), economy loops (resources), feedback loops (balancing difficulty).
- Feedback can be positive (accelerating growth) or negative (promoting balance).
4️⃣ Modeling with Machinations
- Introduces Machinations—a visual tool for modeling and simulating game mechanics.
- Helps designers test balancing, pacing, and player behavior before coding.
5️⃣ Game Systems and Emergence
- Complex gameplay emerges from simple rules interacting over time.
- Encourages creating elegant systems that allow for depth and replayability.
6️⃣ Resources, Economies, and Risk
- Discusses managing in-game currencies, scarcity, trade-offs, and player decision-making.
- Economic systems must offer meaningful choices and player-driven optimization.
7️⃣ Balancing and Tuning Mechanics
- Covers methods to adjust difficulty, pacing, and reward structures through playtesting and modeling.
- Tools include spreadsheets, graph analysis, and systemic tweaks.
8️⃣ Progression and Player Motivation
- Progress systems (XP, skill trees, unlocks) guide players through mastery and novelty.
- Designers must balance challenge, exploration, and reward pacing.
9️⃣ Mechanics for Specific Game Types
- Applies system thinking to RTS, RPGs, platformers, shooters, and strategy games.
- Each genre has different needs in complexity, feedback, and player choice.
🔟 Design Thinking and Formalization
- Advocates designing mechanics first, not just content or narrative.
- Encourages abstraction and systemic thinking as core design competencies.
Conclusion
Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design offers an essential toolkit for designers seeking to understand games as living systems. With a strong focus on systems thinking, simulation, and balance, Adams and Dormans provide both theory and practice for building compelling, emergent gameplay. It’s a must-read for any designer who wants to build experiences that are not only engaging but mechanically deep and sustainable.