Practical Game Design

Game's model and player's mental loops

The game's model loop represents the dynamic world of the game. It is the combination of all the systems present in the game with which the player can interact. The player's loop, on the other hand, is the mental model of the game world that the player creates.

The player builds his own mental loop based on the actual game model loop. He set his goals and executes actions that generate feedback in the game and continue to do so until his or her goal is achieved.

The important thing about the player's mental loop is that the activities that a player executes in a game might not match with the game's model loop. Players can find their fun by not completing the game goals, but by setting their own and pursuing ...