Harnessing Fun Through Arbitrary Requirements
Games are a strange construction. Harnessing fun through arbitrary requirements. Rules. I really like Christina’s example of the absurdity golf, getting a ball into a hole by wacking it with metal sticks. “Writing Precise Rules” by Mike Selinker is an interesting and humorous read. He offers some tips for the creation of well-written game rules.
Many of these maxims are about simply writing the rules in a clear and succinct way. Don’t use fancy made up vocabulary (or fancy real vocabulary for that matter) to describe the game. Any perceived value that these structures would provide toward the quality of the game experience or the reputation of the designer are largely overshadowed by the possibility of player confusion. Learning rules is a painful experience that designers ask of players in exchange for the experience of the game. It is very important as designers that we lower this struggle as much as possible. Thus, using simple, small, more common words will serve instruction perfectly well and allow the player to get to the play.
Be careful also when using flavor text in proximity to the rules. Flavor text, while enjoyable and potentially important to the theme, is generally not important to the flow of play itself, and therefore, should be used carefully as not to distract from or confuse the rules. Flavor text in proximity to rules can also make the rules longer or more cumbersome to read which is undesirable.
Related to use of language is composition of the rules themselves. In other words, don’t make a paragraph too long, and don’t over-utilize capitalization. These can make the read of the rules overwhelming to the player quite contrary to what we desire for the player.
Even if the rules are clear, they should instruct player action in the simplest way possible. There should not be unnecessary steps toward the completion of a game procedure, and there should not be unnecessarily complex calculations if a simpler calculation serves the same purpose. If a rule cannot be made to be clear and simple to execute, it may be worth considering the removal of that rule in favor of new innovations. Rule ambiguity and gaps can lead to an unpleasant and uncertain play experience.
When the rules are complete, it is important to playtest them with the utter removal of designer interaction. If players can play through the game you have constructed using the rules you written in the way you intended then the rules are likely successful. Otherwise, the rules are clearly not ready yet and should be revised. However, complex games can be difficult to fully define due to the wide variety of complex interactions and the number of rules. If a mistake occurs, then own the mistake and make clarifications after the game’s release.
