pattern_name stringlengths 4 50 | description stringlengths 28 257 | content sequencelengths 0 4 | using_the_pattern sequencelengths 1 10 | consequences sequencelengths 1 6 | relations dict | examples sequencelengths 0 5 | label stringclasses 11
values | pattern_links listlengths 3 74 | pattern_id stringlengths 4 45 | playable_concept stringclasses 27
values | metadata dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ability Losses | The loss of ability to perform an action in the game. | [
"Games do not have to let players have the same possibility of actions the whole game. Such [[Ability Losses]] may be the cause of [[Penalties]] for failing goals or the effect of opponents' actions, but may also simply be due to different play modes."
] | [
"The design of [[Ability Losses]] consists of deciding what action is lost, for example a severe form of Movement Limitation, and the reason for the loss, typically a [[Penalty]] for failing a goal. A loss of ability can be used to create [[Gain Competence]] goals in order to regain it, or [[Gain Ownership]] if the... | [
"[[Ability Loss]] is a common [[Penalty]], for example, by the effects of [[Damage]]. Losing an ability naturally restricts the [[Limited Set of Actions]] available and thereby players' [[Freedom of Choice]], either on a [[Unit]] level or for the player overall, and may cause [[Competence Areas]] to be lost as well... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Gain Competence",
"Continuous Goals",
"Character Development",
"Penalties",
"Downtime",
"Player Elimination",
"Limited Set of Actions",
"Varied Gameplay",
"Gain Ownership"
],
"Modulates": [
"Damage",
"Player Balance",
"New Abilities",
"Narrative Structures",
"Right Level of Difficulty",
"Right Level of Complexity",
"Spawning",
"Player Killing"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Movement Limitations",
"Ultra-Powerful Events",
"Role Reversal"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Time Limits",
"Units",
"Balancing Effects",
"Indirect Control",
"Game Masters",
"Negotiation",
"New Abilities"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Competence Areas",
"Illusion of Influence",
"Save-Load Cycles",
"Freedom of Choice",
"Consistent Reality Logic",
"Perceived Chance to Succeed",
"Narrative Structures"
]
} | [
"Respawning in multiplayer first-person shooters is typically done without any weapons, and the special abilities they provided, gained in earlier gameplay.",
"Game masters in roleplaying games can sometimes be forced to invent events that are unavoidable to the players to strip them of equipment that gives the a... | 8. Actions and Events Patterns | [
{
"name": "Indirect Control",
"file": "IndirectControl"
},
{
"name": "Competence Areas",
"file": "CompetenceAreas"
},
{
"name": "Freedom of Choice",
"file": "FreedomofChoice"
},
{
"name": "Gain Competence",
"file": "GainCompetence"
},
{
"name": "Damage",
"file... | AbilityLosses | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AbilityLosses.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Achilles' Heels | A special weakness of an enemy that can be used to defeat that enemy much easier than by other means. | [
"Many of the more difficult enemies in games can more easily, or in some cases only, be defeated by a special form of attack. These kinds of enemies have an Achilles Heel, a special weakness that players can use to their advantage if they can locate it or gain knowledge about it."
] | [
"[[Achilles' Heels]] are most commonly used to make [[Boss Monsters]] easier to [[Overcome]]. The two main design choices regarding [[Achilles' Heels]] are their effects related to normal attacks, what is required to attack the weak point, and how players become aware of the [[Achilles' Heels]].",
"Three main way... | [
"The presence of [[Achilles' Heels]] is a form of [[Strategic Knowledge]] that players can use in [[Combat]]. This can be used to provide the [[Right Level of Difficulty]] and can motivate [[Gain Information]] and [[Puzzle Solving]] if the Achilles Heel is not [[Public Information]]. As Achilles Heels often require... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Strategic Knowledge",
"Gain Information",
"Supporting Goals",
"Varied Gameplay",
"Right Level of Difficulty",
"Experimenting",
"Puzzle Solving"
],
"Modulates": [
"Damage",
"Combat",
"Overcome",
"Boss Monsters"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Public Information",
"Narrative Structures",
"Tools",
"Clues",
"Traces"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"The final monster in Half-Life can only be damaged by first hitting a special area.",
"Boss monsters in games such as Zelda or Super Mario Sunshine usually can only be defeated by special actions, such as grabbing hold of the enemies' tail and spinning around rapidly or hitting the enemies' so that it shows a vu... | 14. Game Design Patterns for Game Mastery and Balancing | [
{
"name": "Tools",
"file": "Tools"
},
{
"name": "Traces",
"file": "Traces"
},
{
"name": "Boss Monsters",
"file": "BossMonsters"
},
{
"name": "Public Information",
"file": "PublicInformation"
},
{
"name": "Strategic Knowledge",
"file": "StrategicKnowledge"
},... | Achilles'Heels | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Achilles'Heels.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Agents | Entities in games that take the roles of players but are controlled by the game system. | [
"Sometimes one cannot find enough players to make a game playable or enjoyable. To make gameplay possible in these situations, the game design may provide means of simulating players. These simulated players, or [[Agents]], can also be used to flesh out team-based games so that the teams are of equal size or simply... | [
"Creating [[Agents]] requires that [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]] can sufficiently simulate the actions and plans of players, which in many cases requires significant computer power and AI programming. However, the skill of these [[Agents]] can easily be downgraded once they have been created and this can be used ... | [
"[[Agents]] provide the possibility to play [[Multiplayer Games]] when not enough players are available by providing [[Enemies]] controlled by the game system. This allows for [[Competition]], [[Conflict]], and [[Tied Results]], and even [[Social Interaction]] to be present, or at least simulated, in situations whe... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Enemies",
"Tied Results"
],
"Modulates": [
"Conflict",
"Competition",
"Multiplayer Games",
"Handicaps",
"Social Interaction"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Dedicated Game Facilitators"
],
"Modulated by": [],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"Bots in first-person shooters or real-time strategy games let players simulate multiplayer variants of the game."
] | 13. Game Design Patterns for Game Sessions | [
{
"name": "Multiplayer Games",
"file": "MultiplayerGames"
},
{
"name": "Handicaps",
"file": "Handicaps"
},
{
"name": "Competition",
"file": "Competition"
},
{
"name": "Social Interaction",
"file": "SocialInteraction"
},
{
"name": "Enemies",
"file": "Enemies"
... | Agents | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Agents.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Aim & Shoot | The act of taking aim at something and then shooting at it. | [
"One of the most natural ways of showing attention to something is to look or point at it. Real-time games usually provide some action that can be done to the game element pointed at. Generalized, this action can be described as [[Aim & Shoot]] regardless of if anything is aimed or actually shot."
] | [
"Making [[Aim & Shoot]] actions possible primarily depend on enabling players to complete [[Alignment]] goals of two points by a straight line. For [[First-Person Views]] this is trivial, as one point is the player's view point unless either of the two points is moving. Somewhat more difficult are [[Third-Person Vi... | [
"[[Aim & Shoot]] is a [[Dexterity-Based Action]] that is possible in [[Real-Time Games]]. Often requiring [[Extended Actions]] and [[Timing]] from a game element's point of view, [[Aim & Shoot]] promotes [[Spatial Immersion]].",
"Interestingly enough, most sports games due not make use of [[Aim & Shoot]] even tho... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Spatial Immersion",
"Tension",
"Movement",
"Dexterity-Based Actions",
"Extended Actions",
"Timing",
"Evade",
"Maneuvering"
],
"Modulates": [
"Tools",
"Resources",
"Capture",
"Delivery"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Combat",
"Real-Time Games",
"Eliminate",
"Privileged Movement",
"Enemies",
"Alignment"
],
"Modulated by": [
"First-Person Views",
"Third-Person Views",
"Traverse",
"Movement",
"The Show Must Go On",
"Moveable Tiles",
"Evade"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"God Views",
"Obstacles",
"Disruption of Focused Attention",
"Surprises"
]
} | [
"Shooting in all first-person shooters consists of taking aim on the opponents, with possible compensations for their movement, and shooting.",
"In Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the player must aim and shoot a grappling hook to be able to swing Link between chasms.",
"Pokemon Snap! gives players a camera and lets the... | 8. Actions and Events Patterns | [
{
"name": "Delivery",
"file": "Delivery"
},
{
"name": "Timing",
"file": "Timing"
},
{
"name": "Alignment",
"file": "Alignment"
},
{
"name": "Tension",
"file": "Tension"
},
{
"name": "Combat",
"file": "Combat"
},
{
"name": "Real-Time Games",
"file":... | Aim&Shoot | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Aim&Shoot.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Alarms | Alarms are abstract game elements that provide information about particular game state changes. | [
"[[Alarms]] are turned on and off either by manipulating explicit game elements or by inherent actions of the game elements. [[Alarms]] can, for instance, show if a forbidden area has been entered or if a certain game elements have been manipulated."
] | [
"The main design choices for [[Alarms]] are how they are tripped and what [[Outstanding Features]] they set off. Further when designing [[Alarms]], the designer may choose either explicit [[Tools]] or [[Controllers]] to manipulate the [[Alarms]] or to have the manipulation of the [[Alarms]] as [[Privileged Abilitie... | [
"[[Alarms]] are ways to pass information about activities and states within a game, and as such provide a [[Game State Overview]]. When activated by players, an [[Alarm]] notifies the players that they have been detected, and this can explain changes in the behavior of [[Enemies]] or the introduction of new [[Enemi... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Disruption of Focused Attention"
],
"Modulates": [
"Rescue",
"Reconnaissance",
"Stealth",
"Enemies",
"Game State Overview"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Outstanding Features",
"Bluffing"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"Some team-based first-person shooters, such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, include [[Alarms]] to inform the players about events that are relevant on a team level, e. g., that a particular goal has been completed or that a certain activity has been initiated by the other team."
] | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Outstanding Features",
"file": "OutstandingFeatures"
},
{
"name": "Disruption of Focused Attention",
"file": "DisruptionofFocusedAttention"
},
{
"name": "Game State Overview",
"file": "GameStateOverview"
},
{
"name": "Reconnaissance",
"file": "Reconnaissance"
... | Alarms | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Alarms.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Alignment | This goal consists of forming a linear alignment of game elements. | [
"Many games make use of the spatial relationship of game elements to cause effects in the game state. When the pieces have to form a line (typically defined by three game elements) for an effect to occur, this can be described as giving players the goal of[[Alignment]]. The goal usually requires the aligned element... | [
"The requirements for using [[Alignment]] are to have a [[Game World]] that allows spatial arrangements and to have a [[Game State Overview]] for players of the whole area which is to be used. The prime challenges that can be designed for [[Alignment]] goals consist of how players can move the necessary game elemen... | [
"[[Alignment]] is a form of [[Configuration]], and offers one of the strongest possibilities for [[Hovering Closures]] by offering players clear visual [[Progress Indicators]] using the gestalt law of connectivity. [[Alignment]] can be a case of [[Connection]], but does not have to be so, since the game elements in... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Configuration",
"Aim & Shoot",
"Hovering Closures",
"Progress Indicators"
],
"Modulates": [
"Capture",
"King of the Hill"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Connection"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"A well known, and perhaps the simplest, game of [[Alignment]] is Tic-Tac-Toe where the winner is the first to have three markers in horizontal, vertical or diagonal [[Alignment]] in a three by three board.",
"Tetris uses the horizontal [[Alignment]] of blocks to remove them from the screen and increase the playe... | 11. Game Design Patterns for Goals | [
{
"name": "Capture",
"file": "Capture"
},
{
"name": "Progress Indicators",
"file": "ProgressIndicators"
},
{
"name": "King of the Hill",
"file": "KingoftheHill"
},
{
"name": "Hovering Closures",
"file": "HoveringClosures"
},
{
"name": "Connection",
"file": "Co... | Alignment | https://itch.io/queue/c/3720943/goal-playable-concepts?game_id=1780311 | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Alignment.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Alliances | A group of players who have agreed to obey particular and specific rules of conduct towards each other and who, usually, also have a shared agenda. | [
"The rules of conduct, obviously, have to be relevant to the playing of the game and they also have to be optional from the game system point of view, that is, players should be able also to decide not to obey these rules, effectively leaving them out of the [[Alliance]] (otherwise, every game has an alliance of pl... | [
"[[Alliances]] typically emerge around [[Mutual Goals]] or common [[Enemies]]. [[Alliances]] differ from [[Team Play]] in that they do not necessarily promote [[Cooperation]] but can consist of agreeing not to interfere with actions or goals of the other members in the alliance.",
"The use of [[Shared Rewards]] a... | [
"[[Alliances]] can lead to the players automatically creating and maintaining [[Social Organizations]], but [[Social Organizations]] can exist as [[Alliances]] also with the sole purpose of providing [[Social Interaction]].",
"Stable [[Alliances]] promote [[Team Play]], such as teams in sports, and tend to create... | {
"Instantiates": [],
"Modulates": [
"Competition"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Cooperation",
"Social Interaction",
"Enemies",
"Social Organizations",
"Mutual Goals"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Social Statuses",
"Shared Resources",
"Individual Penalties",
"Player Decided Results",
"Competition",
"Interferable Goals",
"Uncommitted Alliances",
"Secret Alliances",
"Dynamic Alliances",
"Shared Penalties",
"Shared Rewards",
"Social Dilemmas",
"Betrayal"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory has two teams, Axis and Allies, fighting each other in a World War II first-person--shooter environment. These teams are examples of [[Alliances]] where the rules of conduct to not shoot, but try to help, members of one's own team, and the agenda of overcoming the oppo... | 10. Game Design Patterns for Social Interaction | [
{
"name": "Shared Rewards",
"file": "SharedRewards"
},
{
"name": "Shared Resources",
"file": "SharedResources"
},
{
"name": "Individual Penalties",
"file": "IndividualPenalties"
},
{
"name": "Interferable Goals",
"file": "InterferableGoals"
},
{
"name": "Player De... | Alliances | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Alliances.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Alternative Reality | The game is described as taking place in an alternative reality in order to justify and motivate game elements, possible actions, and rules that contradict the ordinary laws of nature or the usual rules of social conduct. | [
"All games taking place in fantasy and science fiction settings make use of this pattern, but the pattern is also used in games taking place in alternative histories. Some forms of live-action roleplaying games take place in a historical setting and, although it is an alternative reality, the participants try to ma... | [
"Using the [[Alternative Reality]] pattern mainly concerns describing and explaining to the players the theme and setting of the game. When properly done, this makes non-intuitive parts of a game, for example explaining [[Construction]] in most games or [[New Abilities]] through [[Rewards]], easy to understand and ... | [
"[[Alternative Realities]] provide other realms in which players can experience [[Emotional Immersion]]. This [[Immersion]] is typically promoted by [[Storytelling]] and [[Cut Scenes]] but also by providing players the opportunity to control [[Storytelling]] and Roleplaying of [[Characters]] so they may experience ... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Predictable Consequences",
"Emotional Immersion",
"Consistent Reality Logic"
],
"Modulates": [
"Indirect Information",
"New Abilities"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Roleplaying"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Ephemeral Goals",
"Focus Loci",
"Identification",
"Rewards",
"Characters",
"Narrative Structures",
"Clues",
"Extra-Game Information",
"Storytelling",
"Cut Scenes",
"Construction"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"Medieval: Total War is a strategy game set in the power struggles of medieval Europe and as such can be classified as an alternative history game. The game contains huge amounts of references to historical facts, such as political events and real people. The tactical part of the game allows the player to control s... | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Emotional Immersion",
"file": "EmotionalImmersion"
},
{
"name": "Storytelling",
"file": "Storytelling"
},
{
"name": "Rewards",
"file": "Rewards"
},
{
"name": "Identification",
"file": "Identification"
},
{
"name": "Characters",
"file": "Characters"
... | AlternativeReality | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AlternativeReality.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Analysis Paralysis | The players can spend considerable amounts of time planning their actions, because the consequences of the actions are at least somewhat predictable, and the number of possible outcomes grows exponentially the further in game time the players plan ahead. | [
"The classic case of [[Analysis Paralysis]] is that the players are unable to make any useful decisions regarding future actions because they attempt to think too far ahead, and the possible game state space is far too large for proper min-max analysis. [[Analysis Paralysis]] depends also on the players' play style... | [
"[[Analysis Paralysis]] can be achieved by letting players have [[Freedom of Choice]] between several actions with [[Predictable Consequences]], even if these are [[Limited Set of Actions]] or players have [[Limited Resources]]. This forces players to consider [[Tradeoffs]] and the more difficult the values of the ... | [
"[[Analysis Paralysis]] is caused by [[Stimulated Planning]] and [[Cognitive Immersion]], and is usually a feature game designers try to avoid. That players have [[Analysis Paralysis]] can be a sign that the game does not have the [[Right Level of Complexity]] for those players.",
"In games with [[Turn Taking]], ... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Downtime"
],
"Modulates": [],
"Instantiated by": [
"Cognitive Immersion",
"Stimulated Planning",
"Limited Set of Actions",
"Irreversible Actions",
"Budgeted Action Points",
"Tradeoffs",
"Freedom of Choice",
"Turn Taking",
"Predefined Goals",
"Right Level of Complexity",
"Game State Overview"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Predictable Consequences",
"Discard Piles",
"Time Limits",
"Perfect Information",
"Symmetric Information"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Limited Foresight",
"Anticipation",
"Limited Resources",
"Randomness",
"Limited Planning Ability"
]
} | [
"Chess and Go have been used as prime examples of games where there is a possibility to almost endlessly analyze the possible actions for the future. Both have decision trees, which grow exponentially over game time.",
"Diplomacy, even though the possible actions are quite limited, can cause [[Analysis Paralysis]... | 13. Game Design Patterns for Game Sessions | [
{
"name": "Turn Taking",
"file": "TurnTaking"
},
{
"name": "Freedom of Choice",
"file": "FreedomofChoice"
},
{
"name": "Limited Planning Ability",
"file": "LimitedPlanningAbility"
},
{
"name": "Game State Overview",
"file": "GameStateOverview"
},
{
"name": "Limite... | AnalysisParalysis | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AnalysisParalysis.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Anticipation | The feeling of being able to predict future game events in the games to which one has emotional attachments. | [
"Many games allow player to anticipate possible future game events. However, players only feel [[Anticipation]] about these future events if they have some emotional investment, either that the future events are something that they planned and strived for or that the future events concern characters in a narrative ... | [
"[[Anticipation]] can occur through [[Narrative Structures]] or the developing game state but both cases require [[Predictable Consequences]] and some form of specific [[Immersion]], most commonly [[Emotional Immersion]]. However, [[Anticipation]] can negatively affect [[Immersion]] in general as players have to ab... | [
"[[Anticipation]] creates [[Emotional Immersion]] but requires some specific form of [[Immersion]] to be already present. [[Anticipation]] is closely linked to [[Tension]], but where [[Tension]] is primarily concerned with the negative aspects of uncertainty, [[Anticipation]] instead deals with the sense of being a... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Emotional Immersion"
],
"Modulates": [
"Tension"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Predictable Consequences",
"Spatial Immersion",
"Cognitive Immersion",
"Emotional Immersion",
"Downtime",
"Rewards",
"Turn Taking",
"Betting",
"Delayed Effects",
"Player Defined Goals",
"Planned Character Development",
"Delayed Reciprocity",
"Hovering Closures",
"Ultra-Powerful Events",
"Narrative Structures"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Time Limits",
"Near Miss Indicators",
"Betrayal",
"Imperfect Information",
"Red Herrings"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Surprises",
"Analysis Paralysis"
]
} | [
"The presence of traces in the environment of enemies in first-person shooters gives players a strong anticipation that combat will occur soon.",
"[[Anticipation]] is common in roleplaying games when players have planned the development of their characters and they near points where the characters will advance."
... | 9. Game Design Patterns for Narrative Structures, Predictability, and
Immersion Patterns | [
{
"name": "Analysis Paralysis",
"file": "AnalysisParalysis"
},
{
"name": "Turn Taking",
"file": "TurnTaking"
},
{
"name": "Tension",
"file": "Tension"
},
{
"name": "Imperfect Information",
"file": "ImperfectInformation"
},
{
"name": "Delayed Effects",
"file": ... | Anticipation | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Anticipation.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Area Control | Being in control over who can move within an area in the game world, or having access to actions linked to locations in the game world. | [
"Games with a game board or game world can have the control of these as goals in their game. Besides being a goal in itself, control over areas in games can give access to otherwise unavailable actions and can make the use of actions and tactics easier."
] | [
"The design of [[Area Control]] consists of how control is achieved and what effects the control gives. Control can either be due to direct or indirect actions. Direct actions consist of reach the area itself with a [[Focus Loci]], making it a [[Race]] to [[Traverse]] to the area. Often [[Contact]] with the area de... | [
"Having [[Area Control]] is a form of [[Ownership]] that affects the [[Game World]]. Getting [[Area Control]] over part of a [[Game World]] can be the fulfillment to [[Gain Ownership]] goals defined by [[Goal Points]], and make the areas into [[Strategic Locations]]. Besides the [[Rewards]] of completing the goal, ... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Attention Swapping",
"Continuous Goals",
"Combat",
"Strategic Knowledge",
"Movement Limitations",
"Emotional Immersion",
"Overcome",
"Reconnaissance",
"Selectable Sets of Goals",
"Supporting Goals",
"Team Play",
"Tradeoffs",
"Risk/Reward",
"Privileged Abilities",
"Ownership"
],
"Modulates": [
"Game World",
"Game State Overview"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Goal Points",
"Extended Actions",
"Bidding",
"Trading",
"Transfer of Control",
"Race",
"Traverse",
"Strategic Locations",
"Stealth",
"Contact",
"Gain Ownership"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Penalties",
"Committed Goals",
"Producers",
"Resources",
"Interferable Goals",
"Focus Loci",
"Rewards",
"Controllers"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"One of the goals in Battlefield 1942 is to have control over flag points. This is done by teams by having sole presences in the area around the flag for a certain period of time.",
"The goal of Go is to have as efficient [[Area Control]] as possible through so few stones as possible. Gameplay typically begins wi... | 8. Actions and Events Patterns | [
{
"name": "Selectable Sets of Goals",
"file": "SelectableSetsofGoals"
},
{
"name": "Risk/Reward",
"file": "RiskReward"
},
{
"name": "Combat",
"file": "Combat"
},
{
"name": "Game State Overview",
"file": "GameStateOverview"
},
{
"name": "Team Play",
"file": "Te... | AreaControl | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AreaControl.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Arithmetic Rewards for Investments | The possible rewards have a linear relationship to the investments, that is, if the investment is double, the comparable reward is doubled. | [
"[[Arithmetic Rewards for Investments]] are those rewards in game that are directly proportional with the resources used to gain them. As long as requirements of minimum and maximum investments are met, [[Arithmetic Rewards for Investments]] allow players to split resources into several smaller investments rather t... | [
"[[Arithmetic Rewards for Investments]] use linear functions between the [[Resources]] and [[Rewards]] of [[Investments]] and are thereby incompatible with [[Geometric Rewards for Investments]] and [[Diminishing Returns]]. They make the planning of the [[Investments]] straightforward as there is no real incentive f... | [
"When implementing [[Arithmetic Rewards for Investments]] the costs involved have to be balanced compared to other possible [[Investments]] in the game. It is also possible to artificially limit the maximum possible amount used in single [[Investments]] or require minimum amounts to be invested to modulate the [[Ri... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Predictable Consequences",
"Freedom of Choice"
],
"Modulates": [
"Investments",
"Rewards",
"Risk/Reward"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Time Limits",
"Diminishing Returns"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Geometric Rewards for Investments",
"Diminishing Returns"
]
} | [
"The unit construction in strategy games is often based on [[Arithmetic Rewards for Investments]]. If it costs 100 production points to construct a tank, it costs 200 points to construct two tanks, 300 points to construct three tanks, and so on."
] | 6. Game Design Patterns for Resource and Resource Management | [
{
"name": "Investments",
"file": "Investments"
},
{
"name": "Rewards",
"file": "Rewards"
},
{
"name": "Diminishing Returns",
"file": "DiminishingReturns"
},
{
"name": "Risk/Reward",
"file": "RiskReward"
},
{
"name": "Freedom of Choice",
"file": "FreedomofChoic... | ArithmeticRewardsforInvestments | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "ArithmeticRewardsforInvestments.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Asymmetric Abilities | Players, or game elements, do not all have the same actions available. | [
"When not all players have the same actions available, they have [[Asymmetric Abilities]]. This makes the game more complex in one sense, as more types of actions need to be considered when visualizing future game states, but also makes the experiences of playing the game depend on what role a player has.",
"[[As... | [
"The primary reasons for using [[Asymmetric Abilities]] are usually to provide [[Varied Gameplay]] or to support [[Asymmetric Goals]]. In [[Multiplayer Games]], this is expanded with the reasons of promoting [[Team Play]] and [[Social Organizations]] (as the division of labor is one characteristic of civilizations)... | [
"[[Asymmetric Abilities]] are a consequence of [[Privileged Abilities]]. The presence of [[Asymmetric Abilities]] modulates the [[Right Level of Complexity]] by increasing it unless the asymmetry is temporary. When the asymmetry can be alleviated by the completion of [[Gain Competence]] goals, this gives rise to [[... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Gain Competence",
"Collaborative Actions",
"Constructive Play",
"Negotiation",
"Team Play",
"Freedom of Choice",
"Orthogonal Unit Differentiation",
"Varied Gameplay",
"Replayability",
"Paper-Rock-Scissors",
"Social Organizations"
],
"Modulates": [
"Fog of War",
"Game Mastery",
"Communication Channels",
"Asymmetric Goals",
"Team Development"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Privileged Abilities"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Turn-Based Games",
"Balancing Effects",
"Tournaments",
"Asymmetric Information",
"Paper-Rock-Scissors"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Symmetry",
"Player Balance"
]
} | [
"The pieces of one type in Chess have asymmetrical movement abilities compared to all other types.",
"Fox & Geese gives the two players different abilities but one player has a single piece that can capture the opponent's pieces while the other player has many pieces that can only move.",
"Roleplaying games and... | 8. Actions and Events Patterns | [
{
"name": "Freedom of Choice",
"file": "FreedomofChoice"
},
{
"name": "Game Mastery",
"file": "GameMastery"
},
{
"name": "Replayability",
"file": "Replayability"
},
{
"name": "Team Play",
"file": "TeamPlay"
},
{
"name": "Gain Competence",
"file": "GainCompeten... | AsymmetricAbilities | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AsymmetricAbilities.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Asymmetric Goals | Players have structurally different goals requiring different tactics and actions. | [
"Some games have goals that belong to the same categories, for example winning conditions, but differ from each other by requiring players to have fundamentally different tactics and strategies in regard to what actions should be taken. These goals can be described as asymmetric and cannot be transformed into each ... | [
"[[Asymmetric Goals]] can be difficult to balance due to the lack of a simple symmetry; this can be mitigated by using [[Paper-Rock-Scissor]] relations between the goals or by implementing [[Role Reversal]] to exchange the goals between players as soon as one of the [[Asymmetric Goals]] has been reached. However, g... | [
"[[Asymmetric Goals]] promote [[Replayability]] since players can have different goals for different game instances, requiring different strategies, skills, and actions. Further, if the [[Asymmetric Goals]] are part of [[Selectable Sets of Goals]] about which the other players have [[Imperfect Information]], they a... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Replayability",
"Varied Gameplay"
],
"Modulates": [
"Competition",
"Freedom of Choice"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Role Reversal",
"Preventing Goals"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Asymmetric Abilities",
"Paper-Rock-Scissors"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Player Balance",
"Symmetric Goals"
]
} | [
"In the children's game Tag, the chaser has the goal of catching another player, while the other players try to avoid the chaser, making the goals asymmetric.",
"The collectable card game Illuminati: New World Order does have [[Symmetric Goals]] that all players have, but the game also allows individual players t... | 12. Game Design Patterns for Goal Structures | [
{
"name": "Paper-Rock-Scissors",
"file": "Paper-Rock-Scissors"
},
{
"name": "Role Reversal",
"file": "RoleReversal"
},
{
"name": "Freedom of Choice",
"file": "FreedomofChoice"
},
{
"name": "Replayability",
"file": "Replayability"
},
{
"name": "Symmetric Goals",
... | AsymmetricGoals | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AsymmetricGoals.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Asymmetric Information | Players have different information available to them, i.e., some players know more than other players | [
"Asymmetries of information are very widespread in all kinds of multiplayer games. The most common situation is that every player has private information that is hidden from the other players. This kind of private information is often related to ownership, for example, the player \"owns\" his card hand in Poker. Th... | [
"[[Asymmetric Information]] requires that at least one of the players has [[Imperfect Information]] about the game state. Common examples of this are [[Card Hands]] in card games. Another typical example of this can be when goals in the game are known to some of the players but are [[Unknown Goals]] to others. This... | [
"[[Asymmetric Information]] often leads to gameplay based on [[Bluffing]], [[Betrayal]], and guessing, features that quite well describe many of the card games based on unequal information distribution, such as Poker, as well as other games with [[Bidding]] and [[Negotiation]]. As it offers players advantages to kn... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Gain Information",
"Conceal",
"Betrayal",
"Secret Alliances",
"Secret Resources",
"Bluffing"
],
"Modulates": [
"Bidding",
"Asymmetric Abilities",
"Unknown Goals",
"Negotiation",
"Predefined Goals"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Card Hands"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Perfect Information"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Perfect Information"
]
} | [
"In Pictionary, players take turns drawing pictures and the other player tries to guess the word or concept correctly without verbal communication from the player drawing. Alias uses the same principle, but the player tries to explain the word in other words and is forbidden to use the word itself or direct synonym... | 7. Game Design Patterns for Information, Communication, and Presentation | [
{
"name": "Perfect Information",
"file": "PerfectInformation"
},
{
"name": "Negotiation",
"file": "Negotiation"
},
{
"name": "Card Hands",
"file": "CardHands"
},
{
"name": "Secret Alliances",
"file": "SecretAlliances"
},
{
"name": "Conceal",
"file": "Conceal"
... | AsymmetricInformation | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AsymmetricInformation.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Asymmetric Resource Distribution | The resources are distributed asymmetrically among the players, that is, the players have different access and ownership rights to different kinds of resources during the game. | [
"The resource distribution can be asymmetric both at the start of the game and during the gameplay in resource generation phases or locations. It is also possible to have [[Asymmetric Resource Distribution]] in a single-player game. In this case the distribution is usually asymmetric in relation to the time the gam... | [
"One of the simplest cases of using [[Asymmetric Resource Distribution]] is to use [[Randomness]] to determine the starting resources available to the players. Even in this case the [[Player Balance]] has to be taken into account and the distribution function has to be properly balanced. Otherwise some of the playe... | [
"[[Asymmetric Resource Distribution]] introduces inequalities between players and thereby ruins the [[Symmetry]] in games. Using [[Asymmetric Resource Distribution]] in a game may hurt [[Player Balance]] both in [[Multiplayer Games]] and [[Single-Player Games]] as some of the players might, in the worst case scenar... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Handicaps",
"Varied Gameplay"
],
"Modulates": [
"Trading",
"Multiplayer Games",
"Resources",
"Mutual Goals",
"Ownership",
"Social Interaction",
"Renewable Resources",
"Perceived Chance to Succeed",
"Single-Player Games"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Player-Decided Distribution of Rewards & Penalties"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Randomness"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Symmetry",
"Player Balance",
"Symmetric Resource Distribution"
]
} | [
"In Settlers of Catan the basic resource generation is asymmetric as there is luck involved in who will get resources during the resource generation phase and also what kind of resources. This asymmetry leads to the need of trading between the players in a specific trading phase.",
"The business model of Magic: T... | 6. Game Design Patterns for Resource and Resource Management | [
{
"name": "Symmetric Resource Distribution",
"file": "SymmetricResourceDistribution"
},
{
"name": "Perceived Chance to Succeed",
"file": "PerceivedChancetoSucceed"
},
{
"name": "Single-Player Games",
"file": "Single-PlayerGames"
},
{
"name": "Mutual Goals",
"file": "Mutua... | AsymmetricResourceDistribution | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AsymmetricResourceDistribution.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Asynchronous Games | Games where the players game and play sessions do not necessarily overlap in time. | [
"The players in these games can start playing the game regardless of the other players and also choose when they want to have their play sessions."
] | [
"[[Real-Time Games]],[[Tick-Based Games]], and [[Turn-Based Games]] are all suitable for [[Asynchronous Games]], although the play session structure has to be designed differently for each case. [[Real-Time Games]], such as existing MMORPGs, allow the players to choose when they wish to log in to the game and have ... | [
"Game instances of [[Asynchronous Games]] typically have quite long lifetimes. The players have, to some extent, [[Freedom of Choice]] as to when they wish to play the game and to which extent they want to influence the progress in the game. These games almost universally require the use of [[Dedicated Game Facilit... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Downtime"
],
"Modulates": [
"Freedom of Choice",
"Persistent Game Worlds"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Dedicated Game Facilitators",
"Ghosts"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Tick-Based Games",
"Turn-Based Games",
"Real-Time Games",
"Communication Channels"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Public Information"
]
} | [
"MMORPGs can have thousands of players in a single game instance. The players can join and leave the game whenever they want, and particular players do not have to play the game simultaneously, although there almost always are some other players playing at the same time.",
"The players do not often play the game ... | 13. Game Design Patterns for Game Sessions | [
{
"name": "Turn-Based Games",
"file": "Turn-BasedGames"
},
{
"name": "Downtime",
"file": "Downtime"
},
{
"name": "Tick-Based Games",
"file": "Tick-BasedGames"
},
{
"name": "Public Information",
"file": "PublicInformation"
},
{
"name": "Ghosts",
"file": "Ghosts... | AsynchronousGames | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AsynchronousGames.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Attention Swapping | Players have to move their attention between different parts of the game. | [
"Many games have several different goals or goals that are so difficult to complete that they have to be divided into several different goals that have to be completed in parallel. In these kinds of games, the players must move between different goals and activities, performing [[Attention Swapping]], in order to s... | [
"[[Attention Swapping]] is closely related to the [[Right Level of Difficulty]] and [[Right Level of Complexity]] of a game. Complex games by their nature require [[Attention Swapping]] to a certain degree, so complexity can be used to create the need for [[Attention Swapping]] as well as how much is needed, for ex... | [
"[[Attention Swapping]] is required when players have [[Limited Foresight]] due to not being able to observe several parts of gameplay simultaneously. Trying to switch one's concentration between several different activities or [[Focus Loci]] requires that one also is actively trying to notice when one has to make ... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Reconnaissance",
"Tension",
"Resource Management",
"Cognitive Immersion"
],
"Modulates": [
"Right Level of Complexity",
"Stimulated Planning",
"Spatial Immersion",
"Right Level of Difficulty",
"Cognitive Immersion",
"Tradeoffs",
"Limited Foresight",
"Real-Time Games"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Disruption of Focused Attention",
"Units",
"Cameras",
"Parallel Lives",
"Surprises",
"Extended Actions",
"Interruptible Actions",
"Collaborative Actions",
"Maneuvering",
"Combat",
"Enemies",
"Area Control",
"Book-Keeping Tokens"
],
"Modulated by": [
"The Show Must Go On",
"Game State Overview",
"God Views",
"Incompatible Goals",
"Penalties",
"Rewards",
"Conflict",
"Focus Loci"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Game State Overview",
"Emotional Immersion"
]
} | [
"Missile Command where players have to switch their attention between which cities they wish to defend.",
"Arcadia by gameLab allows players to play four small games inspired by videogames from the 1980s, all simultaneously. Each game is simple, but the real challenge lies in being aware of which game one has to ... | 8. Actions and Events Patterns | [
{
"name": "Tension",
"file": "Tension"
},
{
"name": "Combat",
"file": "Combat"
},
{
"name": "Game State Overview",
"file": "GameStateOverview"
},
{
"name": "Limited Foresight",
"file": "LimitedForesight"
},
{
"name": "Real-Time Games",
"file": "Real-TimeGames"... | AttentionSwapping | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "AttentionSwapping.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Avatars | Avatar is a game element, which is tightly connected to the player's success and failure in the game. In many cases, the Avatar is the only means through which a player can affect the game world. | [] | [
"When used, an [[Avatar]] is typically the only way in which a player can affect the game world. Thus, of primary importance in the design of an [[Avatar]] regarding gameplay is what actions it can perform. By limiting the actions that can be performed early in the game (for example, Super Mario and The Legend of Z... | [
"[[Avatars]] are the representations of players' [[Characters]] or are players' [[Focus Loci]] and are therefore an expression of player [[Ownership]]. They are what are created by [[Producers]] when players are [[Spawning]]. They allow [[Improved Abilities]] to be presented to other players within a [[Consistent R... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Spatial Immersion",
"Immersion",
"Ownership",
"Enemies",
"Third-Person Views",
"First-Person Views"
],
"Modulates": [
"Combat",
"Persistent Game Worlds",
"Player Killing",
"Roleplaying",
"Consistent Reality Logic",
"Survive"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Mule"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Privileged Abilities",
"Tools",
"Character Development",
"Characters",
"Improved Abilities",
"Producers"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"God Views",
"Units",
"Parallel Lives",
"Emotional Immersion"
]
} | [
"The computer game Paradroid used an extended variant of the [[Avatar]] pattern. The player controlled a defenseless robot, which could control one other robot, and the gameplay consisted of switching between these second-order [[Avatars]] to defeat all robots on a spaceship.",
"The players are represented as per... | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Combat",
"file": "Combat"
},
{
"name": "Character Development",
"file": "CharacterDevelopment"
},
{
"name": "Player Killing",
"file": "PlayerKilling"
},
{
"name": "Third-Person Views",
"file": "Third-PersonViews"
},
{
"name": "Spatial Immersion",
"f... | Avatars | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Avatars.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Balancing Effects | Rules and effects in games that lessen the differences of value used to measure competition between players. | [
"For games where players play against opponents, the players need to feel that they can affect the outcome of the game. If a game is designed with a certain game time or amount of gameplay, and players feel powerless, these players have to two possibilities: endure gameplay that is uninspiring or suffer that gamepl... | [
"[[Balancing Effects]] can be designed in a game to be preemptive or correcting. Preemptive [[Balancing Effects]] try to maintain [[Player Balance]] so that imbalances do not occur, while correcting [[Balancing Effects]] try to correct imbalances when they have occurred. An alternative to [[Balancing Effects]], whi... | [
"The presence of [[Balancing Effects]] strengthens or prolongs players' [[Perceived Chance to Succeed]] but lessens the [[Perceivable Margins]] of the game and removes feelings of [[Game Mastery]] in the game. [[Balancing Effects]] often provide the [[Right Level of Difficulty]] and [[Smooth Learning Curves]] in ga... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Player Balance",
"Smooth Learning Curves",
"Team Balance",
"Tension",
"Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses",
"Right Level of Difficulty",
"Perceived Chance to Succeed"
],
"Modulates": [
"Character Development",
"Penalties",
"Asymmetric Abilities",
"Multiplayer Games",
"Transfer of Control",
"Improved Abilities",
"Ability Losses",
"Decreased Abilities",
"Spawning",
"Rewards",
"Dice",
"Pick-Ups",
"Turn Taking"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Extended Actions",
"Player Decided Results",
"Movement Limitations",
"Interruptible Actions",
"Illusionary Rewards",
"Budgeted Action Points",
"Handicaps",
"Diminishing Returns",
"Dedicated Game Facilitators",
"Game Masters",
"Tradeoffs",
"Player-Decided Distribution of Rewards & Penalties",
"Delayed Effects",
"Randomness",
"Score",
"Shared Rewards",
"Rewards",
"King of the Hill"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Game State Overview",
"Uncommitted Alliances"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Perceivable Margins"
]
} | [
"Power-ups in Monkey Race 2 in Super Monkey Ball 2 give speed boosters only to the players that are not leading the races. Further balancing effects can be added by players through the option that makes the leader have a lower maximum speed than the other players.",
"Multiplayer online first-person shooters often... | 14. Game Design Patterns for Game Mastery and Balancing | [
{
"name": "Turn Taking",
"file": "TurnTaking"
},
{
"name": "Player Decided Results",
"file": "PlayerDecidedResults"
},
{
"name": "Tension",
"file": "Tension"
},
{
"name": "Handicaps",
"file": "Handicaps"
},
{
"name": "Delayed Effects",
"file": "DelayedEffects"... | BalancingEffects | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "BalancingEffects.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Betrayal | One or several players that have an agreement with other players either intentionally fail to do as agreed or otherwise hinder the fulfillment of the agreement. | [
"Players can be put in situations where promises or the expectations of other players may be broken. These acts of [[Betrayal]] often cause friction between players, and therefore players betraying other players usually have an incentive to do so. This may be due to individual gains received by the [[Betrayal]], di... | [
"[[Betrayal]] requires that one player in the game has some [[Committed Goals]] whose completion is dependent on other players' actions, even if the commitment may only be a promise and the goals may be [[Player Defined Goals]]. Thus, [[Betrayal]] can happen in almost any situation where the players are cooperating... | [
"The possibility of [[Betrayal]] in games gives players a form of [[Player Decided Results]], and the power this gives most likely increases [[Tension]] between players and has a negative effect on [[Team Play]] and possible [[Cooperation]]. As is the case with [[Bluffing]], even the perceived possibility of [[Betr... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Conflict",
"Surprises",
"Leaps of Faith",
"Emotional Immersion",
"Social Dilemmas",
"Role Reversal",
"Tension",
"Uncommitted Alliances",
"Risk/Reward"
],
"Modulates": [
"Trading",
"Alliances",
"Anticipation",
"Tied Results",
"Social Interaction",
"Negotiation",
"Narrative Structures"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Collaborative Actions",
"Player Decided Results",
"Committed Goals",
"Cooperation",
"Player-Decided Distribution of Rewards & Penalties",
"Mutual Goals",
"Individual Rewards",
"Asymmetric Information",
"Bluffing"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Indirect Information",
"Penalties",
"Rewards",
"Delayed Reciprocity",
"Delayed Effects"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Cooperation"
]
} | [
"Much of the enjoyment and tension of Diplomacy is in the possibility to betray and backstab other players. This sometimes leads to very intense diplomacy phases where the players try to get more information about what other players really try to achieve in the game.",
"The negotiation game Intrigue forces player... | 10. Game Design Patterns for Social Interaction | [
{
"name": "Player Decided Results",
"file": "PlayerDecidedResults"
},
{
"name": "Tension",
"file": "Tension"
},
{
"name": "Risk/Reward",
"file": "RiskReward"
},
{
"name": "Delayed Effects",
"file": "DelayedEffects"
},
{
"name": "Committed Goals",
"file": "Comm... | Betrayal | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Betrayal.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Betting | Investing resources in the likelihood of an outcome. | [
"[[Betting]] is the act of risking resources for the chance of winning more resources than was used. The proportions between what is gained and what is risked is linked to the perceived probability of winning, but in the case where [[Betting]] is done by players this does not have to be close to the real probabilit... | [
"The main design choice when explicitly supporting [[Betting]] in games is to choose whether player bet against a [[Dedicated Game Facilitator]], usually called the house, or against each other.",
"[[Betting]] against a [[Dedicated Game Facilitator]] is usually based on [[Luck]] to ensure [[Player Balance]] betwe... | [
"[[Betting]] provides ways of changing [[Ownership]] based on [[Transfer of Control]] events decided by some outcome. [[Betting]] is often used to create [[Meta Games]] of games by giving the original games [[Extra-Game Consequences]] based upon [[Gain Ownership]] goals. When these [[Meta Games]] are [[Player Defin... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Meta Games",
"Conflict",
"Emotional Immersion",
"Anticipation",
"Closed Economies",
"Resource Management",
"Transfer of Control",
"Investments",
"Rewards",
"Game Mastery",
"Player Defined Goals",
"Extra-Game Consequences",
"Risk/Reward",
"Bluffing",
"Luck",
"Delayed Effects",
"Hovering Closures",
"Tension"
],
"Modulates": [
"Bidding",
"Resources",
"Gain Ownership"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Gain Ownership",
"Ownership"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Predictable Consequences",
"Strategic Knowledge",
"Self-Facilitated Games",
"Tournaments",
"Quick Games",
"Dedicated Game Facilitators",
"Imperfect Information",
"Randomness"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"Roulette is a typical example where the exchanges rate between bets and rewards are open and the probability for each outcome is static. The proportions between investments and rewards are tilted in the house's favor and the knowledge of this and the probabilities is easily available.",
"Betting in Poker is base... | 8. Actions and Events Patterns | [
{
"name": "Tension",
"file": "Tension"
},
{
"name": "Risk/Reward",
"file": "RiskReward"
},
{
"name": "Imperfect Information",
"file": "ImperfectInformation"
},
{
"name": "Game Mastery",
"file": "GameMastery"
},
{
"name": "Delayed Effects",
"file": "DelayedEffe... | Betting | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Betting.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Bidding | Players invest resources, usually some kind of a currency, for an uncertain outcome in order to get a reward of some kind. | [
"A [[Bidding]] instance is a process consisting of several parts: the bidding where players invest resources with the hope to achieve a certain game state, the determination of the outcome of these investments, and the distribution of possible rewards."
] | [
"For [[Bidding]] to be effective in a game, [[Resources]] usedhave to be of the [[Limited Resource]] kind, be it throughout the whole game or just for the specific [[Bidding]] instance. Although [[Resources]] in [[Bidding]] events are usually normal game elements, [[Bidding]] can also concern [[Area Control]] or th... | [
"[[Bidding]] offers a way to achieve [[Transfer of Control]] of [[Resources]] through [[Collaborative Actions]] with [[Player Decided Results]]. This offers an alternative to [[Combat]] regarding how to achieve [[Gain Ownership]] or [[Eliminate]] goals. As [[Bidding]] nearly always is voluntarily, winning the bid i... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Converters",
"Competition",
"Transfer of Control",
"Area Control",
"Player Elimination",
"Tradeoffs",
"Player Defined Goals",
"Collaborative Actions"
],
"Modulates": [
"Cooperation",
"Resources",
"Gain Ownership",
"Eliminate",
"Turn Taking"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Direct Information",
"Turn Taking",
"Symmetric Information",
"Asymmetric Information",
"Negotiation",
"Betting",
"Bluffing",
"Rewards"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"In Poker, players bid on the value of their card hands. The bidding instance consists of rounds where the players can raise their bids one after another. The player who does not wish to call the last bid matches his bid to the same amount as the last bid, or if he does not wish to raise the bid, he has to fold. Th... | 10. Game Design Patterns for Social Interaction | [
{
"name": "Converters",
"file": "Converters"
},
{
"name": "Turn Taking",
"file": "TurnTaking"
},
{
"name": "Area Control",
"file": "AreaControl"
},
{
"name": "Asymmetric Information",
"file": "AsymmetricInformation"
},
{
"name": "Player Defined Goals",
"file":... | Bidding | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Bidding.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Bluffing | Players have a possibility to convey false information to other players in order to benefit from the situation. | [
"Usually the basic information for [[Bluffing]] is something about the current game state, as is the case in Poker. It is possible, however, that [[Bluffing]] concerns other game components such as past events and actions, players' goals, and even players' strategies and intentions. One of the simplest games of thi... | [
"In order to have the possibility for bluffing, the game should have [[Asymmetric Information]] together with means of players giving each other [[Indirect Information]] about game components, that is, the players do not have direct access to the required information but can get it from other players, usually via [... | [
"The possibility of [[Bluffing]] in games creates uncertainty about results and thereby [[Tension]], especially for a [[Bluffing]] player. [[Bluffing]] modulates [[Social Interaction]] between players, and players bluffing must be able to control their [[Emotional Immersion]], especially if the game is played in a ... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Risk/Reward",
"Betrayal",
"Tension"
],
"Modulates": [
"Bidding",
"Trading",
"Emotional Immersion",
"Alarms",
"Social Interaction"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Indirect Information",
"Social Interaction",
"Negotiation",
"Betting",
"Asymmetric Information"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Direct Information",
"Symmetric Information"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Symmetric Information",
"Luck"
]
} | [
"Poker uses [[Bluffing]] as one of the basic characteristics of the game. The players do not have direct information about the other players' hands but try to guess the relative values based on the play of previous rounds, social clues, and how the players are playing the current round. [[Bluffing]] in Poker thus m... | 10. Game Design Patterns for Social Interaction | [
{
"name": "Emotional Immersion",
"file": "EmotionalImmersion"
},
{
"name": "Luck",
"file": "Luck"
},
{
"name": "Alarms",
"file": "Alarms"
},
{
"name": "Tension",
"file": "Tension"
},
{
"name": "Trading",
"file": "Trading"
},
{
"name": "Risk/Reward",
... | Bluffing | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Bluffing.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Book-Keeping Tokens | Game elements that do not represent concrete objects in the game world but instead holds specific parts of the game state. | [
"Game states that at least partially represent abstract values require that games have some way to store the information. This can be done by using computers or humans that have to remember the information, but when computers are not available many games have [[Book-Keeping Tokens]] to let players focus on the game... | [
"[[Book-Keeping Tokens]] allow more complex game states in [[Self-Facilitated Games]] without having to do [[Memorizing]]. However, they require players to do [[Extra-Game Actions]] that resemble [[Resource Management]] but without any [[Freedom of Choice]]. As this requires [[Attention Swapping]] from the actual g... | [
"The values of the game state dictate most of the design requirements of [[Book-Keeping Tokens]]. However, game designers have options if the [[Book-Keeping Tokens]] should be used to provide the players with [[Imperfect Information]], typically by [[Cards]], or if they should be [[Public Information]] and give pla... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Attention Swapping",
"Cognitive Immersion",
"Stimulated Planning",
"Imperfect Information",
"Public Information",
"Game State Overview",
"Extra-Game Actions",
"Focus Loci"
],
"Modulates": [],
"Instantiated by": [
"Cards"
],
"Modulated by": [],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Resource Management",
"Memorizing",
"Immersion"
]
} | [
"Puerto Rico has the role of governor that is passed among players. To help players keep track of their roles a small governor card is past to the player who currently is the governor."
] | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Memorizing",
"file": "Memorizing"
},
{
"name": "Extra-Game Actions",
"file": "Extra-GameActions"
},
{
"name": "Public Information",
"file": "PublicInformation"
},
{
"name": "Focus Loci",
"file": "FocusLoci"
},
{
"name": "Immersion",
"file": "Immersi... | Book-KeepingTokens | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Book-KeepingTokens.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Boss Monsters | A more powerful enemy the players have to overcome to reach certain goals in the game. | [
"Sometimes defeating the [[Boss Monster]] can be a goal in itself, but usually [[Boss Monsters]] are used as subgoals in the game and the high-level goal is of another type of goal. [[Boss Monsters]] are almost always used to structure the progress of the game."
] | [
"Defeating the [[Boss Monster]] typically uses [[Eliminate]] modulated with some version of [[Overcome]] goal patterns. For example, in a tabletop roleplaying game, defeating the evil dragon guarding the princess consists of several rounds of tests of skills and attributes of the players until the dragon is dead. A... | [
"[[Boss Monsters]] are used to structure the progress in the [[Hierarchy of Goals]] so that [[Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses]] occur, and they typically signify the end of [[Levels]]. Defeating the [[Boss Monster]] creates a more significant closure associated with the progress in the game. The [[Boss... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Overcome",
"Tension",
"Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses"
],
"Modulates": [
"Rescue",
"Levels"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Eliminate"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Achilles' Heels"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"The games in The Legend of Zelda series are almost totally structured around defeating [[Boss Monsters]] in order to progress in the game and to reach the high-level goals of the game."
] | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Tension",
"file": "Tension"
},
{
"name": "Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses",
"file": "Higher-LevelClosuresasGameplayProgresses"
},
{
"name": "Overcome",
"file": "Overcome"
},
{
"name": "Levels",
"file": "Levels"
},
{
"name": "Achilles' Heels... | BossMonsters | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "BossMonsters.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Budgeted Action Points | Points that are used by players to do actions during their turns. | [
"[[Budgeted Action Points]] are a way to let players decide from turn to turn which actions they want to perform. Usually they not only let players have alternatives to choose from but also allow them to perform the same actions several times if wished but at the expense of not then being able to do other actions."... | [
"The selection of possible actions which can be paid by the [[Budgeted Action Points]] can be any kind of action that is part of the overall game play, but [[Varied Gameplay]] and [[Tradeoffs]] can be encouraged by having heterogeneous groups. [[Budgeted Action Points]] can be used to give players [[Limited Resourc... | [
"[[Budgeted Action Points]] are [[Resources]] which gives players a [[Freedom of Choice]] within a [[Limited Set of Actions]]. The points are a form of [[Renewable Resources]] which requires players to continuously do [[Resource Management]] and [[Tradeoffs]] between the different possible actions available.",
"[... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Cognitive Immersion",
"Movement Limitations",
"Resources",
"Renewable Resources",
"Tradeoffs",
"Freedom of Choice",
"Varied Gameplay",
"Analysis Paralysis",
"Balancing Effects",
"Limited Resources"
],
"Modulates": [
"Tick-Based Games",
"Turn-Based Games",
"Real-Time Games",
"New Abilities",
"Privileged Abilities",
"Characters",
"Skills"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Combat",
"Movement",
"Investments"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Status Indicators"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"The board game Space Hulk has a limited set of action points for each unit in the game. For the player controlling genestealers these action points are used for moving, turning, and attacking in close combat while the player controlling the space marines can use them for these activities and additionally to shoot ... | 8. Actions and Events Patterns | [
{
"name": "Analysis Paralysis",
"file": "AnalysisParalysis"
},
{
"name": "Freedom of Choice",
"file": "FreedomofChoice"
},
{
"name": "Combat",
"file": "Combat"
},
{
"name": "Real-Time Games",
"file": "Real-TimeGames"
},
{
"name": "Movement Limitations",
"file"... | BudgetedActionPoints | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "BudgetedActionPoints.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Buttons | Buttons are game elements, which players can use to activate events or actions in the game world. | [] | [
"[[Buttons]] can be sticky, i. e. they stay pressed allowing the players to know if the [[Button]] is activated or not. If the [[Button]] can be pressed again to inactivate it, this can be used to create [[Reversability]], while those that cannot be changed back enforce [[Irreversible Actions]]. Buttons, which are ... | [
"[[Buttons]] are simple [[Controllers]] that allow for a limited range of actions. Their use is trivial to understand, although the effect of activating a [[Button]] may be complex and have long-term consequences."
] | {
"Instantiates": [
"Controllers"
],
"Modulates": [],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Reversability",
"Irreversible Actions"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"In the early first-person computer roleplaying game Dungeon Master the buttons and levers on the walls are used to open doors, walls, and sections of the floor."
] | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Reversability",
"file": "Reversability"
},
{
"name": "Irreversible Actions",
"file": "IrreversibleActions"
},
{
"name": "Controllers",
"file": "Controllers"
}
] | Buttons | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Buttons.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Cameras | Camera is an abstract game element that decides what is the player's current view to the game world. | [] | [
"The type of [[Camera]] is usually closely linked to how [[Focus Loci]] and [[Spatial Immersion]] are used in the game: games with [[Avatars]] use[[First-Person Views]] or [[Third-Person Views]], while games with [[Units]] use [[God Views]]. While [[First-Person Views]] and [[Third-Person Views]] easily support [[I... | [
"[[Cameras]] that can be manipulated by the players allow the players to decide what parts of the [[Game World]] they want to focus their attention on. In games with [[Avatars]] this is typically limited in such a way that the [[Avatar]] is always in the center of the view. This maintains the symmetry between what ... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Attention Swapping",
"Extra-Game Actions"
],
"Modulates": [
"God Views",
"Spatial Immersion",
"Units",
"Tradeoffs"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Fog of War"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Consistent Reality Logic"
]
} | [
"Real-time strategy games allow the players to move the camera across the whole game world but the position of the game elements, and in many cases not even the terrain, is typically not revealed. God games, in contrast, allow players to have a complete view of the area that is being viewed. First-person shooters, ... | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Extra-Game Actions",
"file": "Extra-GameActions"
},
{
"name": "Spatial Immersion",
"file": "SpatialImmersion"
},
{
"name": "God Views",
"file": "GodViews"
},
{
"name": "Consistent Reality Logic",
"file": "ConsistentRealityLogic"
},
{
"name": "Fog of War... | Cameras | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Cameras.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Camping | Staying in one location in the game for extended periods of time and perform the same action repeatedly. | [
"Some areas in games are so advantageous to players that they can form the game tactics on being in that area and letting players and game events come to them. This usually is combined with performing a small range of actions and waiting for the opportunity to do them."
] | [
"Creating the possibility of [[Camping]] consist of designing weapons and locations that support the activity. The weapons are typically powerful but do not have to be fast as campers are usual well-prepared. The locations should be difficult to reach, in practice being [[Inaccessible Areas]] except through the lin... | [
"[[Camping]] requires that players have [[Strategic Knowledge]] of weapons and locations in the [[Game World]], especially [[Inaccessible Areas]]. Further, it forces them to wait for events to occur which they can react to, making them do [[No-Ops]].",
"The possibility for [[Camping]] in a game lessens the incent... | {
"Instantiates": [],
"Modulates": [
"Stealth",
"Spawn Points",
"Guard",
"Spawning"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"No-Ops",
"Game World",
"Inaccessible Areas"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Player Balance",
"Varied Gameplay"
]
} | [
"Weapons in first-person shooters that are good for sniping together with inaccessible areas create opportunities for camping."
] | 8. Actions and Events Patterns | [
{
"name": "Inaccessible Areas",
"file": "InaccessibleAreas"
},
{
"name": "Guard",
"file": "Guard"
},
{
"name": "Player Balance",
"file": "PlayerBalance"
},
{
"name": "Spawn Points",
"file": "SpawnPoints"
},
{
"name": "Game World",
"file": "GameWorld"
},
{
... | Camping | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Camping.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Capture | Capture is the goal pattern where the end result is the elimination or change of ownership of an actively resisting goal object. | [
"The [[Capture]] is done directly by the actions performed by game elements under a player's control; thus, shooting an opponent in a first-person shooter is not an example of [[Capture]]."
] | [
"The prime design choice regarding [[Capture]] is to decide if the aim is to [[Eliminate]] or [[Gain Ownership]], but can in both cases be seen as a struggle over [[Ownership]]. As [[Capture]] is most often done through the actions of a game element under a player's control, determining what game elements can be us... | [
"[[Capture]] goals are very often related to [[Overcome]] goals in the Hierarchies of Goals. How they are related to each other depends primarily on their individual [[Reward]] structures and on players' tactics. [[Capture]] is often achieved by [[Movement]] but in [[Real-Time Games]], this depends on [[Timing]], w... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Combat",
"Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses",
"Transfer of Control",
"Gain Ownership",
"Timing",
"Movement",
"Preventing Goals"
],
"Modulates": [],
"Instantiated by": [
"Overcome"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Aim & Shoot",
"Connection",
"Enclosure",
"Turn-Based Games",
"Contact",
"Alignment",
"Configuration",
"Evade",
"Puzzle Solving",
"Real-Time Games",
"Maneuvering",
"Turn Taking",
"Ownership",
"Eliminate"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"Go allows [[Capture]] by completely enclosing an enemy group of stones.",
"Qix allows the player to catch computer-controlled units by enclosing them in the smaller area of the two areas that are created by outlining a path in the unmarked part of the game area.",
"Priests in Age of Empires can convert pieces ... | 11. Game Design Patterns for Goals | [
{
"name": "Timing",
"file": "Timing"
},
{
"name": "Alignment",
"file": "Alignment"
},
{
"name": "Turn Taking",
"file": "TurnTaking"
},
{
"name": "Combat",
"file": "Combat"
},
{
"name": "Real-Time Games",
"file": "Real-TimeGames"
},
{
"name": "Preventin... | Capture | https://itch.io/queue/c/3720943/goal-playable-concepts?game_id=1780207 | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Capture.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Card Hands | A Card Hand consists of the cards, which are owned by the player, but which have not yet been put into play. | [] | [
"The basic design question when using [[Card Hands]] is determining the size of the hand; should all cards be distributed at the beginning of the game or should some cards be left in, for example, a [[Drawing Stack]].",
"Another fundamental design question regarding [[Card Hands]] is how the size and content of t... | [
"[[Card Hands]] are [[Containers]] of [[Cards]] that assign players [[Ownership]] to the [[Cards]]. Typically [[Card Hands]] are secret to all other players and being able to deduce the other players' hands offers a strategic advantage (i. e. a [[Gain Information]] goal). However, the other players may know how man... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Gain Information",
"Asymmetric Information",
"Secret Resources",
"Container",
"Ownership"
],
"Modulates": [
"Tiles",
"Cards"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Tile-Laying"
],
"Modulated by": [],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"In Poker each of the players is dealt five cards, which define the [[Card Hand]] for each player.",
"Bohnanza is a card game where the order of the cards in the [[Card Hand]] is important, as the players have to play the cards in a specific sequence."
] | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Tiles",
"file": "Tiles"
},
{
"name": "Cards",
"file": "Cards"
},
{
"name": "Tile-Laying",
"file": "Tile-Laying"
},
{
"name": "Ownership",
"file": "Ownership"
},
{
"name": "Container",
"file": "Container"
},
{
"name": "Secret Resources",
... | CardHands | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "CardHands.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Cards | Cards are physical game elements used to distribute tokens, often with different characteristics, to players without necessarily revealing the distribution. | [
"Cards are common game elements in traditional games. They provide an easy way to randomize distribution and keep that distribution secret from players. The information can either be secret to all players, as for example when the game uses a stack from which cards are drawn, or known only to one player, as is the c... | [
"The most well-known card games use the common card pack with 52 cards in four suits. However, there are many other types of card packs and many games use game specific card sets to provide either additional or different information or to have different distributions of the cards.",
"Games where players have cont... | [
"Sets of [[Cards]] allow game designers to determine exactly the distribution between different resources, events or outcomes in a game while still providing [[Randomness]]. Since cardsare two-sided, the information contained on the card can be distributed in various ways between the two-sides: having no informatio... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Randomness",
"Imperfect Information",
"Non-Renewable Resources",
"Book-Keeping Tokens",
"Focus Loci"
],
"Modulates": [],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Discard Piles",
"Drawing Stacks",
"Card Hands",
"Consumers",
"Converters"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"The common set of cards, used for example in Blackjack or Poker, consists of 52 cards split between four suits of 13 cards each, where the 13 cards are numbered from 2 to 10 and include a knight, queen, king and ace.",
"Alternative card designs include the \"card sets\" of collectable card games such as Magic: t... | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Converters",
"file": "Converters"
},
{
"name": "Discard Piles",
"file": "DiscardPiles"
},
{
"name": "Consumers",
"file": "Consumers"
},
{
"name": "Focus Loci",
"file": "FocusLoci"
},
{
"name": "Book-Keeping Tokens",
"file": "Book-KeepingTokens"
},... | Cards | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Cards.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Character Development | The improvement of characters' skills or knowledge. | [
"Games with characters that can change offer chances for [[Character Development]]. This can either be in the form of becoming more likely to succeed with actions, or make actions that were previously unavailable possible. The changes can either be described as improvements in skills or changes in attitude toward o... | [
"[[Character Development]] is defined by two characteristics: what caused the development and what effect the development has. Common causes for [[Character Development]] are from parts of [[Rewards]] or [[Investments]]. The latter is usually done by various forms of [[Collecting]] to complete [[Gain Competence]] g... | [
"[[Character Development]] is a way to make [[Characters]] advance the [[Narrative Structure]] of a game. The actual development can be done by explicitly affecting the characters possibilities to influence the game state, for example, by [[Privileged Abilities]],[[New Abilities]], or [[Improved Abilities]], or by ... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Player Defined Goals",
"Paper-Rock-Scissors",
"Varied Gameplay",
"Extra-Game Consequences",
"Perceived Chance to Succeed",
"Improved Abilities"
],
"Modulates": [
"Avatars",
"Consistent Reality Logic",
"Narrative Structures",
"Persistent Game Worlds",
"Roleplaying",
"Characters"
],
"Instantiated by": [
"Gain Competence",
"New Abilities",
"Skills",
"Ability Losses"
],
"Modulated by": [
"Rewards",
"Collecting",
"Planned Character Development",
"Diminishing Returns",
"Balancing Effects",
"Freedom of Choice",
"Investments",
"Privileged Abilities",
"Trans-Game Information"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": [
"Player Balance"
]
} | [
"The characters in The Sims have a range of skills and jobs as explicit values of [[Character Development]]. Other values such as the relationships between characters can be used by the player to read emotional or social character development into the characters, but this is not supported by the game system.",
"T... | 9. Game Design Patterns for Narrative Structures, Predictability, and
Immersion Patterns | [
{
"name": "Freedom of Choice",
"file": "FreedomofChoice"
},
{
"name": "Gain Competence",
"file": "GainCompetence"
},
{
"name": "Consistent Reality Logic",
"file": "ConsistentRealityLogic"
},
{
"name": "Player Defined Goals",
"file": "PlayerDefinedGoals"
},
{
"name... | CharacterDevelopment | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "CharacterDevelopment.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Characters | Abstract representations of persons in a game. | [
"Many games let players control game elements that represent people or creatures that act in the [[Game World]]. When these people or creatures have characteristics not directly shown in the [[Game World]] that can change during gameplay, these game elements have an abstract element called [[Character]]."
] | [
"The design of use of [[Characters]] in games can either be on the level of creating explicit characters or by creating rules for how players can create their own [[Characters]]. Independent of how [[Characters]] are created, the game designer can choose whether [[Character Development]] should be possible and if p... | [
"[[Characters]] provide games with points for [[Identification]] and through these points [[Emotional Immersion]], which can strengthen the impact of, and widen the range of, [[Penalties]] usable in the game, especially in the case of [[Persistent Game Worlds]]. The presence of [[Characters]] also allows more detai... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Competence Areas",
"Emotional Immersion",
"Investments",
"Focus Loci",
"Illusion of Influence",
"Identification",
"Creative Control",
"Immersion",
"Enemies",
"Orthogonal Unit Differentiation",
"Player Defined Goals",
"Narrative Structures"
],
"Modulates": [
"Avatars",
"Multiplayer Games",
"Player Balance",
"Alternative Reality",
"Varied Gameplay",
"Roleplaying"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Damage",
"Penalties",
"Planned Character Development",
"Producers",
"Resources",
"Budgeted Action Points",
"Decreased Abilities",
"Improved Abilities",
"Dedicated Game Facilitators",
"Renewable Resources",
"Persistent Game Worlds",
"Rewards",
"Lives",
"Tools",
"Skills",
"Privileged Abilities",
"Storytelling",
"New Abilities",
"Character Development",
"Randomness",
"Handles",
"Freedom of Choice",
"Game Masters"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"Roleplaying games let each player control a character, and one of the main types of achievement in the games is to raise the character's level, stats, or skills.",
"Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is a first-person shooter where players have characters that can develop between levels by gaining exp... | 9. Game Design Patterns for Narrative Structures, Predictability, and
Immersion Patterns | [
{
"name": "Competence Areas",
"file": "CompetenceAreas"
},
{
"name": "Freedom of Choice",
"file": "FreedomofChoice"
},
{
"name": "Decreased Abilities",
"file": "DecreasedAbilities"
},
{
"name": "Damage",
"file": "Damage"
},
{
"name": "Character Development",
"... | Characters | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Characters.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
Chargers | Chargers are locations in the Game World that affect the players' resources when they are in the location. | [] | [
"Selecting the [[Improved Abilities]], the [[New Abilities]], and possibly [[Privileged Abilities]], or [[Resource]] gained defines the use of the [[Charger]]. The way it produces [[Resources]] is similar to [[Resource Generators]] except that players usually do not have any choice if they should be affected by the... | [
"[[Chargers]] provide means for players to get [[New Abilities]] or [[Improved Abilities]] as well as providing [[Renewable Resources]].",
"They function as both [[Resource Locations]] and [[Resource Generators]] but do not produce any [[Resources]] unless a player is within the area, which may require [[Maneuver... | {
"Instantiates": [
"Gain Competence",
"Resource Generators",
"Privileged Abilities",
"Renewable Resources",
"New Abilities",
"Improved Abilities",
"Resource Locations"
],
"Modulates": [
"Traverse",
"Renewable Resources",
"Maneuvering",
"Skills",
"Resources",
"Gain Ownership"
],
"Instantiated by": [],
"Modulated by": [
"Outstanding Features",
"Risk/Reward"
],
"Potentially conflicting with": []
} | [
"Speed boosters in Super Monkey Ball II: Monkey Race give, as their names imply, more speed to the player driving on top of the charger.",
"Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam have two categories of chargers: medicine cabinets and ammunition caches that replenish the health and ammunition of the players' [[A... | 5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements | [
{
"name": "Skills",
"file": "Skills"
},
{
"name": "Outstanding Features",
"file": "OutstandingFeatures"
},
{
"name": "Improved Abilities",
"file": "ImprovedAbilities"
},
{
"name": "New Abilities",
"file": "NewAbilities"
},
{
"name": "Risk/Reward",
"file": "Ris... | Chargers | Not available yet | {
"version": "1.2.2.2",
"date_processed": "2025-04-26T00:00:00",
"source_file": "Chargers.htm",
"converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
} |
End of preview. Expand in Data Studio
Game Design Patterns Dataset
Original Source Attribution
This dataset is derived from the work of Staffan Björk and Jussi Holopainen. The original content comes from "Patterns in Game Design," published by Charles River Media in 2005.
- Original authors: Jussi Kuittinen, Staffan Björk and Jussi Holopainen
- Original format: HTML documents publicly available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379683418_collection.zip
- Citation: Bjork, S., & Holopainen, J. (2005). Patterns in game design (Vol. 11). Charles River Media Hingham.
Dataset Preparation
This dataset represents a cleaned and structured JSON version of the original HTML content, prepared to facilitate machine learning, knowledge graph applications, and other computational approaches to game design research.
Dataset Curator
- Name: Liu, Hugh Xuechen
- Contact: https://hughxuechen.github.io/
- Affiliation: Chalmers Univeristy of Technology
Version History
v1.2.2.2 (April 26 2025)
- Fixed issue with handling already formatted [[Pattern]] links
- Now correctly handles special characters in pattern names (e.g., [[Captured)]])
- Prevents double-wrapping of pattern links that are already in [[...]] format
- Improved pattern link processing to maintain special characters properly
v1.2.2.1 (April 26 2025)
- Enhanced text processing to remove consecutive spaces in all text fields
- Improved example extraction by:
- Automatically capitalizing the first letter after removing "Example:" prefix
- Using regex to clean up all whitespace issues (newlines, tabs, multiple spaces)
- Applied consistent text cleaning using re.sub() instead of simple replace()
- Fixed issue where multiple consecutive spaces could appear in processed text
- Ensured uniform text formatting across all sections of the JSON output
v1.2.2 (April 26 2025)
- Pattern links in Example sections are now converted to [[Pattern]] format
v1.2.1 (April 24 2025)
- Added functionality to export all pattern links to a CSV file
- The CSV includes source pattern, target pattern name, and target file name
v1.2 (April 24 2025)
- Added pattern_id field based on filename for stable references
- Modified HTML links to use Markdown-style [[Pattern Name]] format
- Removed example sections from content as they're already extracted separately
- Removed "\n" characters in examples for consistency with other sections
- Standardized section names to snake_case for better consistency
- Added metadata section with version, processing date, and source file information
v1.1 (March 26 2025)
- Added "playable" property to each entity
- When playable concepts are available at "https://itch.io/c/3720943/goal-playable-concepts", the value points to the specific page
- Otherwise, the value is "Not available yet"
- Removed "\n" characters in "content", "Using the pattern" and "Consequences" properties for improved clarity and parsing
v1.0 (March 11 2025)
- Initial release of the structured JSON dataset
License
This dataset is released under the MIT License, allowing for both academic and commercial use with proper attribution.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the original authors for their foundational work in game design patterns. This dataset aims to make their valuable research more accessible to the computational game design community.
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