Basics of Game Design

Game Play and Game Mechanics

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spaceship to explore the galaxy itself so movement would be one of

its major game elements.

As you can see, some play elements can be found in several

genres. Movement, for example, is found in most games—whether

it be moving a token around a game board or marching armies into

battles. However, the importance of game elements changes from

one game type to another. Movement, for example, might be very

complex in a wargame but highly abstracted in a simulation game.

What Is Not Game Play

It is important for designers to understand what is not central to

game play. While having a unique look ...