Given the abstract nature of game mechanics, they can be quite difficult to test and design, though Ernest Adams suggests developers visually represent these systems to make them easier to understand.
August 16, 2012
"[Game mechanics are] a nuisance to prototype and test... because unless they're simple enough to implement in a board game, you have to either write code or use a spreadsheet, and neither one is particularly fast or intuitive."
-Designer Ernest Adams discusses the difficulties of creating and testing video game mechanics in Gamasutra's newest feature. He believes that game mechanics are one of the most difficult subjects to talk about in game design, particularly because they're so complex and abstract. Rather than describe these systems in words, he often finds it most helpful to rely on easy to read diagrams. In order to make these diagrams simple, cohesive, and accurate, he recommends that developers use Machinations, a free tool created by Dutch designer Joris Dormans, who also happened to co-write Adams' latest book, Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design. As Adams puts it, "Machinations is a visual language for diagramming game economies, and a tool for drawing, and above all, simulating them without writing code." To learn how the program works and to see how it aims to benefit game design, be sure to check out Gamasutra's latest feature.
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