Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
absolute difficulty
The difficulty of a challenge, taking into account both the
intrinsic skill required
and the
stress
on the player, as compared to the trivial case of a
similar challenge. See also
relative difficulty
and
perceived difficulty
.
abstract
(adjective) A quality of a game that indicates it bears little relationship to
the real world, and the player may not rely on his understanding of the real world
in playing the game; its rules are arbitrary
.
Abstract is one end of the
realism
scale;
the other end is
representational
.
abstract
(verb) To remove a complex mechanism from a simulation (often a mech-
anism intended to simulate a real-world phenomenon) and replace it with a simpler
mechanism or none at all.
accelerometer
A device that measures acceleration. Placed inside a game control-
ler, it can detect when the player moves the controller. An accelerometer is at the
heart of the Nintendo Wii controller.
action game
A game whose gameplay consists primarily of physical coordination
challenges.
action-adventure
A hybrid genre of
action game
and
adventure game
. The action-
adventure is now more popular than either of its two constituents.
actions
Player behaviors permitted by the
rules
. Many game actions are intended to
overcome
challenges
, but others serve to add to the player's enjoyment in other ways.
adventure game
An interactive story in which the player takes the role of the pro-
tagonist. Puzzle-solving and conceptual reasoning challenges form the majority of
the gameplay; physical coordination challenges are few or nonexistent.
agency
The players's ability to affect future events in a story, possibly including
the ending, by taking
dramatic actions
. Also sometimes called
dramatic freedom
.
AI
See
artificial intelligence
.
art-driven game
A game whose design is primarily driven by the goal of showing
off the game's artwork.
artificial intelligence (AI)
A suite of programming techniques that allow a com-
puter to mimic human behavior in certain domains. Video games use AI to provide
artificial opponents for players to play against, among other functions.
asymmetric game
A game in which the players do not start with identical
conditions, do not play by the same rules, or do not seek to achieve the same
victory condition.
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