Introduction to Gameplay Systems

Up until now, everything we’ve talked about in this book has focused on technology. We’ve learned that a game engine is a complex, layered software system built on top of the hardware, drivers and operating system of the target machine. We’ve seen how low-level engine systems provide services that are required by the rest of the engine; how human interface devices such as joypads, keyboards, mice and other devices can allow a human player to provide inputs to the engine; how the rendering engine produces 3D images on-screen; how the animation system allows characters and objects to move naturally; how the collision system detects and resolves interpenetrations between shapes; how the physics simulation causes objects to move in physically realistic ways; how the 3D audio engine renders a believable and immersive soundscape for our game world. But despite the wide range of powerful features provided by these components, if we were to put them all together, we still wouldn’t have a game! A game is defined not by its technology but by its gameplay. Gameplay can be defined as the overall experience of playing a game. The term game mechanics pins down this idea a bit more concretely—it is usually defined as the set of rules that govern the interactions between the various entities in the game. It also defines the objectives of the player(s), criteria for success and failure, the player character’s abilities, the number and types of non-player entities 847 848 14. Introduction to Gameplay Systems that exist within the game’s virtual world and the overall flow of the gaming experience as a whole. In many games, these elements are intertwined with a compelling story and a rich cast of characters. However, story and characters are definitely not a necessary part of every video game, as evidenced by wildly successful puzzle games like Tetris. In their paper, “A Survey of ‘Game’ Portability” (http://www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/intranet/research/resmes/CS0705.pdf), Ahmed BinSubaih, Steve Maddock and Daniela Romano of the University of Sheffield refer to the collection of software systems used to implement gameplay as a game’s G-factor. In the next three chapters, we’ll explore the crucial tools and engine systems that define and manage the game mechanics (a.k.a. gameplay, a.k.a. G-factor) of a game.