Mechanics, dynamics and player experience
Separate what the rules allow, what happens during play and what that tends to make players feel or do.
Area 01
Game Design
Mechanics, systems, player experience, prototyping and balancing.
MechanicsSystemsPlayer experiencePrototypingDocumentationBalancing
Choose the job
What do you need from Game Design?
Edited library
Start with these.
11 focused entries currently cover this area.
Turn a vague idea into one testable mechanic
Shrink a large concept into a prototype that can answer one design question this lesson.
The one-page pre-production check
A short planning structure that exposes risk and scope before learners disappear into asset production.
Godot: Your first 2D game
A step-by-step official tutorial covering project structure, player movement, enemies, score and a complete small game loop.
The Level Design Book
A free, critical and practical online book covering process, layout, blockout, scripting, lighting, level studies and teaching notes.
Game Programming Patterns
Bob Nystrom's complete free-to-read web book on organising game code with practical patterns and trade-offs.
Mechanic Mashup
Combine an unusual mechanic and genre, then turn the novelty into one playable rule rather than a page of lore.
Peer Critique Cards
Structured prompts that keep peer feedback specific, evidenced and useful to the next production decision.
Dungeon Scrawl for fast level plans
A quick browser-based map tool for thinking about route, space and encounter layout before opening a full game engine.