GLOSSARY - Fundamentals of Game Design - page 641

game world An imaginary universe in which the events of the game take place.
Most computer game worlds are simulated two- and three-dimensional spaces con-
taining characters and objects.
gameplay The challenges presented to a player and the actions the player is per-
mitted to take, both to overcome those challenges and to perform other enjoyable
activities in the game world.
gameplay mode A collection of features of a game that strongly influence the
player's experience of the game at any given time. The features that make up a
gameplay mode are: a) the subset of the game's gameplay that the core mechanics
offer at any particular time; b) the camera model with which the user interface dis-
plays the game world ; and c) the interaction model offered by the user interface, by
which the player acts upon the world. Whenever any of these features changes sig-
nificantly, the game has entered a new gameplay mode.
gameplay tension The player's uncertainty about whether he will overcome the
challenges he faces and, in a player-versus-player game, what his opponent will do
next. Do not confuse with dramatic tension .
global mechanic A mechanic that operates throughout the game regardless of
which gameplay mode the game may be in.
goals Desired results or conditions that the player seeks to achieve. The goals of a
game need not be achievable, so long as players can work toward them. Games usu-
ally have many goals, defined by the hierarchy of challenges . The victory condition , if
the game has one, is always one of these goals.
granularity The frequency with which the game presents narrative elements to
the player.
group play A form of social play in which members of a group take turns at play-
ing a single-player game while the others watch. Also called hotseat play.
handicap An adjustment to the rules of the game (often of the victory condition )
intended to balance differential skill among the players and give the less skilled an
equal chance of winning with the others.
harmony An aesthetic quality of a game such that it feels as if all its elements—
visual, auditory, gameplay, and others—belong together and complement each other.
hierarchy of challenges A theoretical hierarchy of goals the player tries to achieve
at any given moment, consisting (from the top down) of completing the entire
game, winning the current level, completing a sub-mission within the level, if any,
and so on down to the challenge immediately facing her at the moment, an atomic
challenge .
high concept A very short description, no more than two or three sentences long,
that conveys the most important aspects of an idea for a game.