Introduction Who Is This Book For? How Is This Book Organized? Companion Website. Chapter 1 Designing Game Mechanics Rules Define Games Discrete Mechanics vs. Continuous Mechanics Mechanics and the Game Design Process Prototyping Techniques Summary Exercises Chapter 2 Emergence and Progression The History of Emergence and Progression Comparing Emergence and Progression Games of Emergence Games of Progression Structural Differences Emergence and Progression Integration Summary Exercise Chapter 3 Complex Systems and the Structure of Emergence Gameplay as an Emergent Property of Games Structural Qualities of Complex Systems Harnessing Emergence in Games Summary Exercises Chapter 4 Internal Economy Elements of Internal Economies Economic Structure Uses for Internal Economies in Games Summary Exercises Chapter 5 Machinations The Machinations Framework Machinations Diagram Basic Elements Advanced Node Types Modeling Pac-Man Summary Exercises Chapter 6 Common Mechanisms More Machinations Concepts Feedback Structures in Games Randomness vs. Emergence Example Mechanics Summary Exercises Chapter 7 Design Patterns Introducing Design Patterns Machinations Design Pattern Language Leveraging Patterns for Design Summary Exercises Chapter 8 Simulating and Balancing Games Simulated Play Tests Playing with Monopoly Balancing SimWar From Model to Game Summary Exercises Chapter 9 Building Economies Economy-Building Games Analyzing Caesar III Designing Lunar Colony Summary Exercises Chapter 10 Integrating Level Design and Mechanics From Toys to Playgrounds Missions and Game Spaces Learning to Play Summary Exercises Chapter 11 Progression Mechanisms Lock-and-Key Mechanisms Emergent Progression Summary Exercises Chapter 12 Meaningful Mechanics Serious Games Communication Theory The Semiotics of Games and Simulations Multiple Layers of Meaning Summary Exercises Appendix A Machinations Quick Reference Appendix B Design Pattern Library Static Engine Dynamic Engine Converter Engine Engine Building Static Friction Dynamic Friction Stopping Mechanism Attrition Escalating Challenge Escalating Complexity Arms Race Playing Style Reinforcement Multiple Feedback Trade Worker Placement Slow Cycle Appendix C Getting Started with Machinations References Index.

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The first in-depth book covering game mechanics by two leading game designers and instructors.••The first in-depth analysis of game mechanics, a required topic for many game design schools.•The first game design textbook dedicated to advanced topics led by a bestselling game design author Ernest Adams.•Makes extensive use of Joris Dormans' free, public Machinations simulation software.•Readers can experiment with exercises from the book in an easy-to-use graphical environment. Game mechanics--the rules and systems that govern the functional behavior of a game--lie at the heart of all game design. The mechanics implement the living world of the game; they generate active challenges for players to solve in the game world and they determine the effects of the players' actions on that world. Here to teach game designers and students the essentials of game mechanics are two leading authorities in game design. Readers will learn how to craft mechanics that generate challenging, enjoyable, and well-balanced gameplay. They'll learn how to visualize and simulate game mechanics in order to design better games and learn at what stages to prototype, test, and implement mechanics in games. This in-depth resource also comes with hands-on lessons and readers can download a free simulation tool in order to follow along with exercises in the book.