Formal Elements

The Basics

Players

• Single Player – like Solitare.
• Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.
• PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.
• One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).
• Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.
• Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.
• Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.
• Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.
• Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you.

Objectives/Goals

• Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).
• Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).
• Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).
• Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).
• Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).
• Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).
• Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).
• Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister).

Rules/Mechanics

• Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.
• Progression of Play – what happens during the game.
• Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state.

Controls

Resources & Resource Management

• Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)
• Time (game time, real-time, or both)
• Known information (like suspects in Clue)

Game State

• Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.
• Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.
• One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.
• The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.
• Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information.

Sequencing

• Turn-based – Standard board game technique.
• Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).
• Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.
• Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn.

Player Interaction

• Direct Conflict – I attack you.
• Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.
• Trading – I’ll give you this for that.
• Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off.

Theme & Narrative

The Elements in Motion

Design Critique

Graphics & Sound

Various Stages of the Game