Welcome to the Game Mechanics Wiki
What is this?
Well, it is a wiki where we research, inspect, play with, and analyze different game mechanics. The goal is to have a comprehensive list of mechanics, how to use them, design considerations, examples by other games, and different implementation methods
What is a "Game Mechanic"?
A game mechanic is anything that allows the player to interact with the game and game environment. They are the rules that the game follows and they define the experience that the player has. Mechanics can be implemented differently and are different from game to game. For example, crafting in Minecraft and Far Cry Primal are different but they both outline the experience the player has.
The Pillars of Game Mechanics
There are 5 Pillars of Game Mechanics:
- Environment - How the player can interact and experience the world that has been created for them.
- Player Character - The players "interface" with interacting with the world. This is how the player is able to do different things within the world
- Non-playable Characters - Other characters the player can interact with that isn't able to be controlled by the character and how they behave with the environment
- Combat - The way the player can attack NPCs
- Meta-mechanics - Mechanics that aren't directly related to how the player can interact with the world, but affect how the player might play the game.
As July 16th, 2024, this is the current planned layout, with crafting being the only one completed. You can click the image to view a higher quality version.
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