How Game Designers Create Meaningful Mechanics | Conveying Themes, Emotions and Ideas In Video Games
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2024
- This Video analyzes how some of the best game designers in our medium have used meaningful mechanics as a metaphor to convey specific emotions,themes and ideas
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Meaningful mechanics are still underutilized in gaming, and there are no shortage of emotions, themes and ideas we can convey as an artform if we think of mechanics as metaphors. What we need to do, I feel, is assemble a compendium of meaningful mechanics, and use this library as a basis to push the medium forward. There are already so many incredible examples that exist in our medium, all we have to do is explicitly outline how they work.
This video contains some of my favourite examples, but i urge you to share some of your favorites in the comments below
Games mentioned
-Ico
-Journey
-Braid
-Missile command
-Never alone 4:21
-Brothers a tale of two sons 4:54
-Florence 5:26
-The last guardian 6:09
-Heavy rain
-Thomas was alone 7:04
-Rez 8:08
-Catherine
- Hellblade 9:16
-Dark Souls
-Celeste
-Devil May cry 3 10:43
-Spec ops 11:49
-Shadow of the Colossus
-Papers Please
-Everything
-Mafia 3 15:13
-Assassins creed Liberation 15:33
-Bioshock 16:12
-Nier Automata
-Metal Gear solid 2 16:47
-The Tetris Effect
-Battlefield
-Call of duty
-P.T
-Civilization
-Gears of War
-Flower
-The unfinished Swan
-Thumper
-What remains of edith finch
Additional footage from
-Shirrako
-App Unwrapper
-TetraNinja
-IamSpOOn
-GDC - Will Wright Mata haggis Soren Johnson Sid Maeir
-EightBitHD
-Jonathan Blow
-Fumito ueda
All rights for games, music and idea belong to their respective owners. Please message me if I missed sourcing you. 
Игры
![TRASH or PASS! Eminem ( Houdini ) [REACTION!!!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cB1WrZcMwMc/mqdefault.jpg)
I just want more people to be having conversations on this topic, putting this kind of thought and meaning into mechanics is how we push the medium forward
This may not be 100% mechanics, but I think of Red Dead 2's epilogue. People talk about how dull doing things in the two ranches can be and yeah.... it's true. But look at fence building. [SPOILERS AHEAD] At the first ranch, fence building it just dull and you do it to move on to the next point. EVERYTHING'S dull and unrewarding until John's doing the things that echo his old life. The combat is a welcome return to fun. When you're allowed to wear the spirited horse down so the rancher's son can ride it, it's freeing. Cleaning the stables.... not so much. But these mechanically echo how John's feeling. He finds those chores dull and unappealing, and when he gets to fight, HE finds it an exciting reprieve. Then when he's building Beecher's Hope, look at the building. It's brisker and there's a lively tune with a rhythm that you end up pounding to. It's not fighting, or the things from his old life.... but it's suddenly engaging and lively because JOHN finds it that way. He's motivated, and excited for it, and the play and the music reflects that. Really underrated and well done, IMHO.
This channel is criminally underrated
Mass Effect uses the squad based game to enhance your connection with the other characters, to the point that it is common for players to take their favourite companions on missions, even if they're not the best in combat. Also we could argue the cooperations reflect thar the species should cooperate more.
Bro you are a legend
My design brain is growing
My references for ideas is growing
This video is way better than I expected
Undertale by Toby Fox, Off by Mortis Ghost, and LISA by Austin Jorgensen, are some games that brilliantly play with and subvert the mechanics of JRPG’s.
Oh yes how could I forget, undertale is a fantastic example of subversive meaning through mechanics. I haven't checked out off or LISA so thanks for the examples!
O_O Wow. My mind is blown. Mechanics have meanings. It is a fascinating and radical idea. I especially like the part where there is games about the hero's journey. I am a huge fan of the heros journey. I am used to seeing that in book and movie form. It is a whole other thing to have this in a game. I have playd some games. Of them, the best example that comes to me off the top of my head is Magic the Gathering. My favorite part about the game is the color system. The cards of Magic are classified into groups called color. Each color has a certain play style in its mechanics. Yet underneath this each color also has its own philosophy and personality. For example my favorite color is blue. I am a nerd by nature. I enjoy delving into study and learning. I like fantasy and science. I can spend a lot of time studying the subjects. Blue is a color that fits my peronality the best. It is a color with intellect. It is the color best at learning and study. Interestingly blue has mechanics that fit an intellectual personality. They are also mechanics that I find the most fun to play. Blue is a deensive color. It is good at stalling the opponent. It can block the spells of the opponent. It also draws cards. Then the player can end with using big and expensive creatures, and win the game. Reasourses, in the form of lands, are accumulated gradually, so doing expensive spells can't occor until late in the game. Intellectual people have a tendancy to be reserved and solitary. They shut themselfs up in thier rooms to study. The reserved nature leas to a defensive play style. It is the exact opposite of aggressive. The deck is called a library. So the ability to draw extra cards is like reasearching in spell books. Every player can do this draw at the beginning of thier turn. However the smart blue players can do more study, and so they get to draw more cards. All colors have this link to the mechanics and meaning.
When wathing this video, I got a brilliant idea. I could use mechanics to represent my ideas. I can take the personalities in Magic and take it even further. I already develop my mystical system from intense study of New Age and psychology. It can get complicated in a hurry. One of the most unique ideas of mine is a mix of personality type and psychoanalysis. A personality type only shows the surface part of the personality psyche.There are other types hidden and repressed underneath. I figured that one can extrapolate what personalities are hidden underneath based on the outward personality type. This extrapolation is a unique thing that I came up with. A heroic journey represents one going inward into the mind. They should gather all the parts in order to combine into a whole an enlightened self. I have just figured out a way to show this in gaming form. In the start of the game, one goes through a tutorial are. They learn the game. They get exposed to different kinds of playstyles. Then one needs to pick an element and class. I call this mix the battle type. This gives them a play style in combat. The battle type reflects the personality type. Making this choice represents the formation of the persona. One develops thier own personality type they show to the outside world. Over the course of the game, one learns fighting abilities to suit thier battle type. They branch out into other types. Every ability is availiable to every players. The order of when they are learned depends on the battle typpe chosen in the beggening. There are certain powerups that only work on certain elements and classes. It is benificial to focus on a specific kind of battle type to create better synergy with the powerup and the abilities. This is like the development of the ego. As one progresses into society. It helps for one to pick a career to focus on. Then they can work in a specialized role and get good at it. One can be proud of themselves. Each battle type has its strengths and weaknesses. Too much focus can be harmful, as the weaknesses get worse and catch up to a person. This is the development of the shadow. One faces the repressed personaities within. It is scary but nesesary for growth. At this point players can learn the abilities of the classes opposite of them. It can help them take care of thier weaknesses. For example a defensive kind of fighter gets to learn offensive moves to help them balance roles. Defensive fighters have a weakness of being too slow. It takes forever for them to win a fight, because they can't hit very hard. Learning offense can help overcome it. The final part is where one finds harmony with the parts. There is the anime. One finds a way to link the parts and become a more balanced and adaptable person. THey can get the self. The self is a unified whole of all the parts in personality. In the game, this is represented by learning the last bits of of the abilities. One can learn all the abilities of all the classes. This vast group of abilities is like self. One can even switch their battle type. In a fight one has to wiegh the benifits of specialization. They can figure out how much to focus on to get better synergy and powerup and how much to diversity to gain versatility and handle a variety of threats. It is a challenge to figure it out. My two main values is balance and adaptation. I have figures that the mechanics of battle type can adress it. Elements are good at having adaptability. Elements have a paper rock sizzors mechanic. Each element has its own strengths and weaknesses against other elements. First one figures out what element the opponent is. Then they pick an element to fight with. They should choose something that is strong against the opponent. One should have a variety of elements. Then ifferent elements are chosen against different opponents. This shows the value of adatation. It is like there some kind of elemental chaos or something. Classes are good at having balance. Classes have mechanics based on roles. There is things like offensive role, efensive role, speed role and endurence role. A class woul have strngth in one role and weakness in the opposite role.One should have a variety of classes. These classes work together in a fight. They play different roles and help the fight work. There are roles like damage dealer, tank and healer. Having these together brings balance. Wow. This is such an awesome idea! I better get on it!
I don't know how it took me this long to find your channel but I have a lot of catching up to do. Thanks for all the amazing work!
This video deserves so many views, its masterful. Your voice is great, your examples are original and interesting, and every part of your video is well written. Bravo. 10/10. As a game developer, this video excellently summarizes everything I love and look forward to in game storytelling.
Thank you so much for the kind words Brandon! I share your excitement about the potential of the medium going forward.
Well you just supplied me my reading list for the rest of the year.
Great content and well written.
Wish I was intelligent enough to comprehend most of what you said lol but I sat through it all none the less.
very good video essay, bravo
Please continue. I crave your insight.
That was awesome! Thank you for ur dedication to make this video!
amazing video man! you earned a subscriber :) . We need more of these type of discussions!
Im trying to think of a gamewide arc that communicates a journey from insecure and desperate for approval to confident and and self satisfied but through mechanics
this is excellent man, thanks for the great amount of info!
This is so deep. Can't wait to watch your other videos
Great video, I would love to dig deeper into those topics !
Excellent video decided to sub. Like some others I am a indie dev and one of the pillars of my design philosophy is about using mechanics to Express narative.
Very well done!
I had known that this idea was discussed bits and pieces in other places, but you've consolidated the here.
The comparison between Battlefield and Call of Duty was amazing.
One small thing, you can have a title card at the start of the video that'll mention all the games with spoilers (major or minor) so that you wouldn't have to repeat tell in the video.
Thanks Hemang! Yeah it probably makes sense to do that, but I''m really weary of spoiling things for people. I''ll think about it for future videos.
Really enjoyed this video! :D Can't wait to see more! Just subbed
Man, your video essays are *dense*! So much good content here.
Thank you !
Great video, I really liked the depth of your analysis ! Thanks for the value you provide 🙏🏼🔥
You gain my sub with this video ! 👌🏼
Great video! Excellent examples, analysis and presentation.
I quit computer games a couple of years back in favor of board games because I didn't want to spend both my work and free time in front of a screen. So I'm glad you gave board game examples as well.
Have you thought about a more board game focused video?
Woah. nice one mate. i didnt really think abt the background stuff. this is very educational
Thank you !
Journey is sooo good. A perfectly conveyed experience
🧡🙏🏻 This was great, especially things like 12:50, the 7 primal emotions (rewarding,aversive). Thank you for sharing!!
You've got my sub! I love your take on narrative in games. I am currently trying to design a game that pushes the boundaries of mechanics as metaphor and you have given me an amazing new perspective on all the possible ways to accomplish it, as well as given me research material! Thank you so much, I am very excited to check out your other videos and see what else you have in store for us!
Nice, where can I find your game?
@@sdrawkcab_emanresu I'm still learning how to use unity. I'm working on a couple of smaller games before I tackle the more complex game that I was talking about in that comment. But if you would like I can point you toward the current, smaller game I am working on! There's no narrative to it really, it's just an excercise in learning how to code in the context of unity.
@@trevortrev6789 The funny thing is, I started learning the other way around. I started with unreal and multiplayer FPS template and made a multiplayer prototype, which was to bad and too unfinished to release(was never the plan), but I learned the code. By now I'm looking forward to making a simple 2D game after the final phase of school is finished. I don't think I learned it the right way. But whatever you do, you just have to keep yourself motivated, and it's(at least in unreal) not that much of a jump in terms of complexity, just in terms of mass. I think you can do it
@@sdrawkcab_emanresu thanks for the encouragement! I've been trying to get into gamedev for about 5 years now and I haven't lost motivation yet so I must be pretty determined lol. I started out as a story writer/gameplay codesigner for a team that has since fell apart. I have since decided to learn more of the technical side so I don't have to depend on other people to make things happen.
Honestly I don't think there's any real wrong way to learn gamedev in general. The specifics, definitely, but you learning how to code before anything else is a great way to do it seeing as it along with graphics seem to be the biggest creative hurdles aspiring developers have.
Wow great video!
Great topic and examples! Being able to use the mechanics as in a metaphorical sense to convey the core themes and ideas is interactive storytelling at it's best. Already love all these games so it was great to hear about them. Please keep doing what you do, mate.
Fantastic video
Very good video, I subscribed.
Fantastic video, very interesting ideas in here!
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words!
Great video!
Thank you for this great video.
Over the years I played the original Portal for hundreds of hours and this I don't really understand it's mechanical and thematic meaning to me. I feel its close interrogation-room-style is a perfect backdrop, for a game about the joy of movement, jumping and ultimately flying. Utilizing the elements of restriction (walls, ceiling, floor) to archive said freedom of expression of movement.
Portal is a very feminine game sat in a stereotypically male orientated field (science/Sci-Fi) and played through a profound reinvention of the FPS-gameplay. It’s about finding clever ways around static obstacles, instead of killing aggressive enemies blocking your path. Portal insists on the strength of the individual, mechanically even denying the influence of the world on the individual. It is almost opportunistic in its play. In the first playthrough the player uses every surface they can find to go on and survive, in latter playthroughs they exploit the surfaces to experience joy.
Growing up Portal mend a lot to me and it still does. Every time I want to write about it, I've changed and my interpretation has too. Maybe I should look at myself through the lense of Portal.
Thanks again for the great video.
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Yours is a really fascinating take on portal that i've never quite heard before. I've mostly thought about it in the context of its subversive ''çake'' metaphor and its commentary on the relationship between designer and player, but have never really thought about its spatial and mechanical metaphors. Your idea of non violent traversal and creative ingenuity being a subversive rhetoric in itself is really intriguing, and I wouldn''t have though about it in that way if you hadn't pointed it out. Beauty, transcendence and subversion through movement is something i'd like to see more of in games, and I love your idea of reading your interpretation of the game biographically. I'm going to have to go back and play it now!
Thanks for your enriching commentary, and if you ever happen to write an essay or video on it, feel free to post it here, i'd love to see it!
Thanks again!
Nice video. I just discovered your channel (through Reddit) and I like where you are going.
I’d like to give you some constructive feedback as a suggestion, because I believe your analysis deserves the best delivery. The content is great and so is the depth of your analysis, but your argument is equally convincing in words. The video edit is very nice to look at, but seems to be just used as illustration. I think your videos could benefit from some visual structure, maybe overlay and annotations to guide us more. It can transform your videos from just great essays to invaluable reference guides.
Thanks for the feedback Joris! I actually agree with you that very often the video and my script seem disjointed, and that has to do with me not having relevant footage. I''m currently trying to improve my editing skills and software to include more on screen guides, but it's an expensive process, and is dependent on whether I have the time or if the channel takes off.
In any case I really appreciate the comment and critique!
you are gold man, thanks for the video
Thanks!
I think the first Mass Effect does a good job with dealing with it's theme of first contact in the Illos section. The music and how big the drive is to the end kind of symbolizes how vast and big the protheans were before the Reapers came in and destroyed them.
I watch a lot of design videos and this is one of the better done that I have seen. Well said on many levels.
Thank you so much! where can I find more information about that topic?
Fantastic video. Off the top of my head I’d add political flash games from Molleindustria; the ending “twist” in Armed with wings: Culmination; that elevator scene in ME3 with Mordin Solus
Thanks! Interesting examples, i''ll have to check them out.
Jesus, this channel is so good. I love many people and books you reference in your work.
You deserve so many more subs.
Absolutely brilliant video. I hope it reaches many game designers, because we'll all benefit.
Amazing video! Thanks a lot... One more Subscriber
Awesome analysis. Sometimes I don't know if there are really deep meanings behind some things or just unintended coincidences the authors didn't think of at the moment.
Thank you! Its actually a great point you make because very often people will either put things in their game without realizing the symbolic meanings, or it might be over interpretation on the part of people like me. I've tried to stick to gdc talks and stuff corroborated from interviews, but it is fair to say that I might be reading too much into it. However, sometimes meanings emerge and are relevant even when the developer is unaware of it, and that''s the beauty of artistic analysis!
But then again, isn't that in itself one of the many wonderful things about art? Much like abstract song lyrics, if the player is able to find meaning in things that were not intentionally put there, it can become a much more personal experience. I honestly don't believe it's wrong to over-analyze art as long as one doesn't tell other people that their interpretations are wrong. The best thing about art is that it's a reflection of what it means to be human, from both the creator and the interpreter.
This is the creator's work : think about the meaning. Or they are just dumb people making random things like Jackson Pollock. Ok it can be complex and beautiful but don't lie to yourself, when you understand a piece you talk with the author and experience is transcendantal.
Great video, unfortunate 4 millisecond response time for Hellblade spoiler.
Thank you for this alluring and informational video. Im a bit queries now, are you a designer yourself?
Interactivity for meaningful Choices.
This channel deserves way more subscribers
Very nice interpretation. If you search a game with very special mechanics, have a look on FRACT OSC. Its a sound and music first person puzzle adventure. Greetings!
Thanks! I'll definitely check out FRACT OSC, thanks for the feedback!
13:11 seems like a bit of a misunderstanding of what Dreams is but I guess its not wrong
*Master Chief can dual wield alien guns. Guns are not meant to be dual wielded and humans shouldn't use alien guns. Therefore MC is a survivor and scrappy.
*Mass Effect: Shepard's friendship will allies results in new abilities and they help you in combat.
*Escape from Tarkov: guns jam, ammo has realistic calibers, wounds are hard to heal, supplies are rare: it reinforces a survivalist mentality.
*
Does anyone has a list of the books mentioned? :o
Hi Abigail, sorry it wasn't in the description. The books are
- Game mechanics, Advanced game design -Ernests Adams
- Persuasive games -Ian Bogost
- Half Real -Jasper Juul
- The Ambiguity of Play - Brian Sutton Smith
As for examples of games, the first one that always comes to my mind is Monopoly. It's deliberately unbalanced, rewarding successful players with more success and making it impossible for unlucky players to catch up, and is intended to be a critique of capitalism. Even its overwhelming popularity creates a sort of sad meta-commentary on how people will gravitate towards a system that's really fun to win without considering how awful it feels to lose. (And how likely they are to do so in a multiplayer game.)
It certainly wasn't the _first_ game to encode meaning in mechanics (I've heard _Snakes and Ladders_ was created to teach kids about the nature of virtue and vice), but it's a good accessible example.
Still not a fan of "meaning" -- perhaps the most hollow word I know of.
This channel is criminally underrated