GLOSSARY - Fundamentals of Game Design - page 648

role-playing game (RPG) A game in which the player controls one or more char-
acters, typically designed by the player, and guides them through a series of
adventures or quests. Character growth in power and abilities is usually, but not
necessarily, a key feature of the genre.
roll To rotate the game's virtual camera about a line through the lens, so that the
horizon is no longer level.
RPG See role-playing game.
rules Instructions that dictate to the player how to play. Rules normally include
lists of required, permitted, and prohibited actions; the sequence of play; the chal-
lenges and actions that make up the gameplay; the goals of the game; the
termination conditions of the game; definitions of the meanings of symbols in the
game (its semiotics); and any metarules if some of the rules are changeable. In non-
computerized games, the players must also implement any bookkeeping operations
(such as the function of the bank in Monopoly ), and these operations are also gov-
erned by rules. Such rules for bookkeeping operations also exist in video games, but
the players are not aware of them because the software implements them.
sandbox mode A gameplay mode in which the player is not presented with a victory
condition . This mode has few restrictions on what he may do and offers no guid-
ance on what he should do.
scalar variable A variable quantity consisting of exactly one value, such as the
amount of money in a bank account. The value changes, but there's only one value
at any given time. Contrast with vector variable .
scripted conversation A technique that allows a player to have a conversation
with a nonplayer character in a game by selecting a line of dialog from a menu of
options. His avatar says the line, the nonplayer character (NPC) responds, and the
player receives a new menu of lines to choose from. Scripted conversations may be
documented with a dialog tree .
self-defining play Game activities that allow the player to choose, customize, or
construct an avatar, thus defining the player's imaginary self in the game.
shadow costs Secondary or hidden costs that lie behind the apparent costs of
goods or services.
shell menu A menu of options implemented by game software outside the game
world. Chiefly used for loading and saving games and customizing the user interface.
shooter A subgenre of action games whose primary challenge is shooting.
side quest A quest or mission, usually found in a role-playing game, that the player
is free to accept or reject without his decision affecting the progress of the main
storyline.