Game mechanics: the literal, the metaphoric and the abstract
Wherever we go, we are surrounded by game mechanics. We carry them with us, we create them and we interact with them. Life itself can be mapped into any number of game genres – resource management? Check! Platformer? Sure! Strategy RPG? Why not?! – the world itself, it seems, is the best place to find inspiration for mechanics. This is why we usually speak of metaphors when we talk about game mechanics.
The concept of the metaphor comes into play when we attempt to translate real life mechanics into game mechanics (and vice versa) and I will get to it later; but before we even have to think of the metaphor we must first be able to identify the mechanics themselves.
Real world mechanics are very much like game mechanics in that they can relate to resources, space, skill, luck, etcetera. Moreover, they are usually framed in systems that provide the actual meaning to the mechanics themselves. Even though we can think of life as an all-encompassing system, real world mechanics are usually framed within smaller systems.
An example is in order. Sometimes when I am packing my lunch I find that for that particular day my meal is composed of two or three items that take different times to microwave – I plan ahead and decide to pack them in different tupperwares. When lunch time comes, I try to efficiently manage the microwave times so that the two or three items are ready at the same time. Not only that, but I will try to make it so that I visit the kitchen for lunch at a not-so-busy time so that I can access both microwaves simultaneously. This case is an example of both resource managing (time, microwaves) and logic skills (efficiency when packing and heating the food). Both mechanics are framed within the system of my particular work life, which provides meaning to the time-saving mechanic since I will want to optimize my lunch in order to gain more time for other tasks. I also like my food hot, so I will try to microwave both items simultaneously.
Mechanics, then, are all around us. Identifying mechanics and systems can be a very simple task since most of our daily activities can be mapped into mechanics. Indentifying fun mechanics and systems… well, that can be more of challenge. Independently of whether the identified mechanics are fun or not, however, we might try to incorporate them into a game, or translate them into playable game mechanics. Now this is where the metaphors come in.
Wherever we go, we are surrounded by game mechanics. We carry them with us, we create them and we interact with them. Life itself can be mapped into any number of game genres – resource management? Check! Platformer? Sure! Strategy RPG? Why not?! – the world itself, it seems, is the best place to find inspiration for mechanics. This is why we usually speak of metaphors when we talk about game mechanics.
The concept of the metaphor comes into play when we attempt to translate real life mechanics into game mechanics (and vice versa) and I will get to it later; but before we even have to think of the metaphor we must first be able to identify the mechanics themselves.
Real world mechanics are very much like game mechanics in that they can relate to resources, space, skill, luck, etcetera. Moreover, they are usually framed in systems that provide the actual meaning to the mechanics themselves. Even though we can think of life as an all-encompassing system, real world mechanics are usually framed within smaller systems.
An example is in order. Sometimes when I am packing my lunch I find that for that particular day my meal is composed of two or three items that take different times to microwave – I plan ahead and decide to pack them in different tupperwares. When lunch time comes, I try to efficiently manage the microwave times so that the two or three items are ready at the same time. Not only that, but I will try to make it so that I visit the kitchen for lunch at a not-so-busy time so that I can access both microwaves simultaneously. This case is an example of both resource managing (time, microwaves) and logic skills (efficiency when packing and heating the food). Both mechanics are framed within the system of my particular work life, which provides meaning to the time-saving mechanic since I will want to optimize my lunch in order to gain more time for other tasks. I also like my food hot, so I will try to microwave both items simultaneously.
Mechanics, then, are all around us. Identifying mechanics and systems can be a very simple task since most of our daily activities can be mapped into mechanics. Indentifying fun mechanics and systems… well, that can be more of challenge. Independently of whether the identified mechanics are fun or not, however, we might try to incorporate them into a game, or translate them into playable game mechanics. Now this is where the metaphors come in.
Metaphors consist basically of mapping two seemingly unrelated elements to each other – it is mostly a process of translation. Good metaphors are extremely valuable and hard to find, but they can go a long way in helping players accommodate to the games we design, especially when they are thematically sound. Mirror’s Edge provides a simple example that is both good and bad. In this game, elevators are used to mask loading times in the middle of a level, which can result in somewhat lengthy elevator rides. However, there are usually things to read on the elevator walls and it doesn’t seem weird to sit tight and wait for the elevator to arrive at the top floor because that is what people do on elevators in real life, anyway. So this simple mechanic fits quite well in that sense, but thematically it falls apart very quickly since Mirror’s Edge is a game about being chased, and riding elevators is probably the last thing you want to do if you have a complete police force on your tail.
Sometimes, however, the metaphor is skipped altogether and the designer opts to go for literal translations. Literal translations can be very effective in getting the point across extremely quickly. Everyone can relate to a D-pad with relative ease: mapping each arrow to a direction is not only intuitive, but completely literal; an arrow pointing upward can mean very little things other than “up”. A similar thing happens with the Wiimote and games like Wii Sports: in the case of bowling, for example, the metaphor for throwing the ball is so similar to reality that it stops being a metaphor altogether. By mapping the real world movement to the game’s, the designers manage to get their point across very effectively, not even requiring the player to think about associating his actions in the game to those in real life – the association has been made for him already.
Finally, designers can attempt to get their point across using abstract representations. Abstract game mechanics typically try to deconstruct a particular situation into its most basic elements, and then try to recreate those elements in some other way. An excellent example of this is Rod Humble’s The Marriage, a simple but deep game that attempts to map marriage dynamics into game mechanics, and does a remarkable job at it (although I must admit I have never been married, so my judgment may not be the most accurate). The end result is a game composed of squares and circles – as abstract as it gets.
So, how should we know whether we should opt for the literal, the metaphoric or the abstract? Not surprisingly, there is no right answer to this question. It mostly depends on the message we are trying to send as game designers, although most likely the game itself will make the decision for us, particularly if it is well themed and altogether consistent in its design.
Not long ago I remember a good friend of mine speaking about how he wished Bioshock’s mechanics were more metaphoric when choosing how to deal with the Little Sisters, and how he would have loved for the game to make him map his actual hand motions to the strangulation motions. Along the same line, this past week the producer for EA’s Grand Slam Tennis made declarations on how the new Wii Motion Plus controller was “overly responsive”, which made literal translation of mechanics almost too real.
Naturally, not all mechanics come from real life, but it is often very useful to find real world metaphors to our mechanics. This will not only help us explain our mechanics with more ease, but it can also give us new insight into our mechanics that we were not aware of. Lastly, finding the correct translation for our game mechanics – whether it is metaphoric, literal or abstract – will go a long way into how the players experience the game we are crafting.
Tags: Game mechanics, Metaphors, Rod Humble
