#10 - The Art of Game Design - Chapters 10,11,12

Chapter 10: Some Elements are Game Mechanics

Let's begin with a definition on what Game Mechanics are.  But therein we have the problem - there is no clear concise, standard definition.  To me, game mechanics are the inner workings of a game, but Jesse Schell categorizes game mechanics broadly by expanding mechanics to include not only the interior mechanics but also aspects such as rules, objectives, and more.  This culminates in quite a number of lenses:

Lens #21: The Lens of Functional Space.  Consider the dimensions and physics of game world itself - the space where entities in the game exist within.
Lens #22: The Lens of Dynamic State. Consider the entities that inhabit the game world as being in "states".  What knowledge can/do they know and what actions can they perform?
Lens #23: The Lens of Emergence.  Outline the actions of the entities in the game world, and consider the consequences of such actions.
Lens #24: The Lens of Action.  Consider a subset of actions which are important to achieving goals and impacting behavior of other entities, and the relative size of such a subset.
Lens #25: The Lens of Goals.  Consider goals in the game, short-term and long-term, achievements, and the plausibility of them.
Lens #26: The Lens of Rules: Describe the rules in  your games.  
Lens #27: The Lens of Skill: Consider the skill required to play the game, and win it.  Design for challenge and fun; a flow state between anxiety and boredom.
Lens #28: The Lens of Expected Value.  Consider the odds of random events in the game, and assign values to each.  The expected value (rewards) are often valuable to examine.
Lens #29: The Lens of Chance.  Examine what in your game is chance.  Is it too random?  Too much chaos is never a good thing; but perceived control within chaos is.

Chapter 11: Game Mechanics must be in Balance

Game mechanics as described in chapter 10 above must be in balance.  This means that no particular player in a game has an unfair advantage over the other.  There are several facets to this, which are further explored in the following lenses:

Lens #30: The Lens of Fairness.  Consider fairness from the viewpoint of every possible player.
Lens #31: The Lens of Challenge.  Similar to lens #27; consider the challenge level of a game, which should be between anxiety and boredom, in an optimal "flow state".
Lens #32: The Lens of Meaningful Choices.  When a player makes a choice in the game, they should feel as if it mattered, without it being a dominant choice in itself (not a "gimme".)
Lens #33: The Lens of Triangularity.  "Triangularity" refers to a set of states of the player, in which going to one state is "playing it safe", while the other is "taking a risk for higher reward".  We are concerned if we have such a preferred mechanism in the game, and if it is in balance (i.e. a hard choice to make.)
Lens #34: The Lens of Skill vs. Chance.  Consider the balance between skill and chance in the game.  Similar to lens #29.
Lens #35: The Lens of Head and Hands.  Consider the balance between physical skill and mental skill, and be sure they match the targeted audience's preferences.
Lens #36: The Lens of Competition.  Consider the level of competition in the game from across all levels of skill.  Who can play?  Is it easy to become a master?
Lens #37: The Lens of Cooperation.  Is cooperation required and is communication readily available?  Consider social aspects in the interaction, and whether its between strangers or friends.
Lens #38: The Lens of Competition vs. Cooperation.  Consider the balance between the two, and the preference of the audience.
Lens #39: The Lens of Time.  Consider how long a game takes, and whether it can be played that long without going bored.
Lens #40: The Lens of Reward.  Do rewards make sense and are they plenty enough?
Lens #41: The Lens of Punishment.  Do punishments make sense and are they plenty enough?
Lens #42: The Lens of Simplicity/Complexity.  Consider the level of complexity in the game, and of all its individual mechanics.  Too complex is bad, but so is too simple.
Lens #43: The Lens of Elegance.  Is the game elegant?  And all of its individual elements?  Elegance can make a game a masterpiece.  Make sure all elements of the game are useful and have a purpose.
Lens #44: The Lens of Character.  Character is the opposite of elegance.  Consider the character of the game, including its flaws and humorous aspects.
Lens #45: The Lens of Imagination.  Imagination can help a player immerse into the game world.  Consider how to inspire imagination in the game.
Lens #46: The Lens of Economy.  Consider the game economy, and game money, and prices of items within - and the balance of each therein.
Lens #47: The Lens of Balance.  Culminating chapter 11 all into a single lens - is the game balanced?

Chapter 12: Game Mechanics Support Puzzles

Considering puzzles in a game, there are a few guidelines outlined in these lenses below:

Lens #48: The Lens of Accessibility.  Visualization of the puzzle must be accessible, and the player should have a rough idea of how to "dive in" and begin.
Lens #49: The Lens of Visible Progress.  Progress should be visible as it is being achieved, as well as meaningful.  
Lens #50: The Lens of Parallelism.  Parallelism refers to making multiple puzzles available at once.  However, too many things at once may not be very good.  Consider bottlenecks in which completion of earlier puzzles can constrain advancement of the game, and the connectivity of such tasks.
Lens #51: The Lens of the Pyramid.  Pyramids apparently fascinate us, because they have a single point at the top which seems to be the culmination of lower layers.  Consider building the game up in this manner.
Lens #52: The Lens of the Puzzle.  Consider puzzles in the game that make the player think, and each of the puzzle principles outlined in chapter 12.