Original Design Patterns Flashcards
Game Design patterns from "Patterns in Game Design" by Staffan Bjork and Jussi Holopainen
The loss of ability to perform an action in the game.
Ability Losses
A special weakness of an enemy that can be used to defeat that enemy much easier than by other means.
Achilles’ Heels
Entities in games that take the roles of players but are controlled by the game system.
Agents
The act of taking aim at something and then shooting at it.
Aim & Shoot
Abstract game elements that provide information about particular game state changes.
Alarms
This goal consists of forming a linear alignment of game elements.
Alignment
A group of players who have agreed to obey particular and specific rules of conduct towards each other and who, usually, also have a shared agenda.
Alliances
The game is described as taking place in an alternative reality in order to justify and motivate game elements, possible actions, and rules that contradict the ordinary laws of nature or the usual rules of social conduct.
Alternative Reality
The players can spend considerable amounts of time planning their actions, because the consequences of the actions are at least somewhat predictable, and the number of possible outcomes grows exponentially the further in game time the players plan ahead.
Analysis Paralysis
The feeling of being able to predict future game events in the games to which one has emotional attachments.
Anticipation
Being in control over who can move within an area in the game world, or having access to actions linked to locations in the game world.
Area Control
The possible rewards have a linear relationship to the investments, that is, if the investment is double, the comparable reward is doubled.
Arithmetic Rewards for Investments
Players, or game elements, do not all have the same actions available.
Asymmetric Abilities
Players have structurally different goals requiring different tactics and actions.
Asymmetric Goals
Players have different information available to them, i.e., some players know more than other players
Asymmetric Information
Players have different access and ownership rights to different kinds of resources during the game.
Asymmetric Resource Distribution
Games where the players game and play sessions do not necessarily overlap in time.
Asynchronous Games
Players have to move their attention between different parts of the game.
Attention Swapping
A game element, which is tightly connected to the player’s success and failure in the game. In many cases, it’s the only means through which a player can affect the game world.
Avatars
Rules and effects in games that lessen the differences of value used to measure competition between players.
Balancing Effects
One or several players that have an agreement with other players either intentionally fail to do as agreed or otherwise hinder the fulfillment of the agreement.
Betrayal
Investing resources in the likelihood of an outcome.
Betting
Players invest resources, usually some kind of a currency, for an uncertain outcome in order to get a reward of some kind.
Bidding
Players have a possibility to convey false information to other players in order to benefit from the situation.
Bluffing