Games & Virtual Worlds Series
Non-Core Mechanics: Progression
Understanding Games: How Video Games & Board Games Work
Jesper Juul is a Danish game scholar and researcher who has written extensively about the nature of games and their place in culture. One of the key concepts he has developed is the distinction between games of emergence and games of progression.
Games of emergence are those in which the gameplay arises from the interactions between the player and the game system. In these games, the player is free to explore and experiment with the game mechanics, and the gameplay emerges from the player’s actions and the game’s responses. These games often have open-ended or sandbox-style play, in which the player has a high degree of agency and can approach the game in a variety of different ways. Examples of games of emergence include Minecraft and Tetris.
Games of progression, on the other hand, are those in which the gameplay is structured around a fixed series of challenges that the player must overcome in order to progress through the game. In these games, the player is typically given a set of goals to achieve, and must work through a series of levels or challenges in order to achieve them. These games often have a more linear structure, and the player’s agency is more limited as they must follow a prescribed path through the game. Examples of games of progression include Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.
Juul’s distinction between games of emergence and games of progression is useful for understanding the different ways that games can be designed and played, and for considering the role of player agency in games. It is important to note, however, that many games blur the line between these two categories, and may contain elements of both emergence and progression in their gameplay.
Progressing Through Space
Spatial progression in video games refers to the way that the game’s environment is structured and the ways in which the player can move through it. There are many different kinds of mechanics that can govern spatial progression in games, including:
Constraints on movement: These are limitations on the player’s ability to move through the game world, such as walls, cliffs, or bodies of water that the player cannot pass through.
Locked doors or barriers: These are obstacles that the player must find a way to overcome in order to progress through the game. This could be a literal locked door that requires a key to open, or it could be a more abstract barrier, such as a puzzle that the player must solve.
One-way doors: These are doors or passages that can only be passed through in one direction, and which the player cannot return through once they have passed through them.
Hidden regions: These are areas of the game world that are not immediately visible or accessible to the player, and which the player must discover and explore in order to progress.
Illogical areas: These are areas of the game world that do not follow the usual laws of physics or spatial logic, and which the player must navigate in unconventional ways. An example of this is the “flip” mechanic in the game Portal, which allows the player to rotate the entire game world around them.
Unlabeled teleporters: These are objects or devices that transport the player to another location within the game world, without any indication of where they will be taken.
Here are some examples of games that use these mechanics to shape spatial progression:
Constraints on movement: Super Mario Bros. uses walls, cliffs, and bodies of water to create distinct areas that the player must navigate in order to progress.
Locked doors or barriers: The Legend of Zelda uses locked doors and puzzles that the player must solve in order to progress through the game.
One-way doors: The game Limbo uses one-way doors that the player must pass through in order to progress, but which they cannot return through once they have passed through them.
Hidden regions: Minecraft has hidden regions in the form of underground caves and abandoned mines that the player can discover and explore.
Illogical areas: The game Portal uses the “flip” mechanic to create areas of the game world that do not follow the usual laws of physics.
Unlabeled teleporters: The game The Stanley Parable uses unlabeled teleporters that transport the player to different locations within the game without any indication of where they will be taken.
Progressing Through Time
Temporal progression in video games refers to the way that the passage of time is represented and the ways in which the player can interact with it. There are many different kinds of mechanics that can govern temporal progression in games, including:
Pausing: This is the ability to pause the game and stop the passage of time, allowing the player to take a break or to plan their next move.
Timekeeping: This is the use of a timer or clock to track the passage of time within the game. This can be used to create a sense of urgency or to limit the player’s options.
Bullet time: This is a mechanic that slows down the passage of time, allowing the player to see and react to fast-moving events more easily.
Time boosts: These are abilities or power-ups that allow the player to move faster or to perform actions more quickly.
Time travel: This is the ability to move backwards or forwards through time, allowing the player to revisit past events or to see what might happen in the future.
Scripted events: These are events that are predetermined to occur at specific points in time within the game, and which the player must react to or participate in.
Here are some examples of games that use these mechanics to shape temporal progression:
Pausing: Many games, such as The Legend of Zelda, allow the player to pause the game and stop the passage of time in order to take a break or to plan their next move.
Timekeeping: The game Tetris uses a timer to track the passage of time, creating a sense of urgency as the player must place blocks quickly before the timer runs out.
Bullet time: The game Max Payne uses bullet time to slow down the passage of time, allowing the player to see and react to fast-moving events more easily.
Time boosts: The game Sonic the Hedgehog includes power-ups that allow the player to move faster, effectively boosting the passage of time for the player character.
Time travel: The game Braid allows the player to move backwards and forwards through time, allowing them to revisit past events and see how they might have played out differently.
Scripted events: The game Half-Life 2 includes scripted events that occur at specific points in time, such as a building collapsing or an enemy attack, which the player must react
Progressing Through Plot
There are a range of mechanics that can govern the progression of the plot in a video game. These include:
Triggers: These are events or actions that trigger a change in the plot, such as reaching a certain point in the game or interacting with a specific object.
Chatbots: These are non-player characters that the player can interact with through dialogue, which can reveal information about the plot or advance the story.
Plot-tracking system: This is a system that tracks the player’s progress through the plot, and which may provide clues or hints to help the player understand what is happening or what they need to do next.
Plot-branching mechanic: This is a mechanic that allows the player to make choices that affect the direction of the plot, resulting in different branches of the story.
Here are some examples of games that use these mechanics to shape the progression of the plot:
Triggers: The game Myst uses triggers to advance the plot, such as solving puzzles or discovering certain objects, which reveal more about the story and the game world.
Chatbots: The game Mass Effect includes chatbots that the player can interact with through dialogue, which can reveal information about the plot and the game world.
Plot-tracking system: The game Life is Strange includes a plot-tracking system that helps the player understand their progress through the story and what they need to do next.
Plot-branching mechanic: The game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt includes a plot-branching mechanic that allows the player to make choices that affect the direction of the plot, resulting in different branches of the story.
Related Articles
The Game State, Information & Movement
Chance, Probability & Fairness
Trade-Offs, Dilemmas, Sacrifices, Risk & Reward
Actions, Events, Choices, Time & Turn Taking
Ethics, Morality, Violence & Realism
Overview of Video Game Systems
Non-Core Mechanics: Social Interactions
Common Digital Gaming Platforms
Bibliography & Further Reading
- A Game Design Vocabulary: Exploring the Foundational Principles Behind Good Game Design by Anna Anthropy and Naomi Clark
- A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster
- Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach by Michael Sellers
- An Introduction to Game Studies by Frans Mayra
- Basics of Game Design by Michael Moore
- Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by Jason Schreier
- Board Game Design Advice: From the Best in the World vol 1 by Gabe Barrett
- Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: an Encyclopedia Of Mechanisms by Geoffrey Engelstein and Isaac Shalev
- Character Development and Storytelling for Games by Lee Sheldon
- Chris Crawford on Game Design by Chris Crawford
- Clockwork Game Design by Keith Burgun
- Elements of Game Design by Robert Zubek
- Fundamentals of Game Design by Ernest Adams
- Fundamentals of Puzzle and Casual Game Design by Ernest Adams
- Game Design Foundations by Brenda Romero
- Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton
- Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design by Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans
- Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames edited by Chris Bateman
- Games, Design and Play: A detailed approach to iterative game design by Colleen Macklin and John Sharp
- Introduction to Game Systems Design by Dax Gazaway
- Kobold Guide to Board Game Design by Mike Selinker, David Howell, et al
- Kobold’s Guide to Worldbuilding edited by Janna Silverstein
- Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design, 2nd Edition by Scott Rogers
- Narrating Space / Spatializing Narrative: Where Narrative Theory and Geography Meet by Marie-Laure Ryan, Kenneth Foote, et al.
- Narrative Theory: A Critical Introduction by Kent Puckett
- Narrative Theory: Core Concepts and Critical Debates by David Herman, James Phelan, et al.
- Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative, Fourth Edition by Mieke Bal
- Practical Game Design by Adam Kramarzewski and Ennio De Nucci
- Procedural Storytelling in Game Design by Tanya X. Short and Tarn Adams
- Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing by Wendy Despain
- Rules of Play by Salen and Zimmerman
- Storyworlds Across Media: Toward a Media-Conscious Narratology (Frontiers of Narrative) by Marie-Laure Ryan, Jan-Noël Thon, et al
- Tabletop Game Design for Video Game Designers by Ethan Ham
- The Art of Game Design, 3rd Edition by Jesse Schell
- The Board Game Designer’s Guide: The Easy 4 Step Process to Create Amazing Games That People Can’t Stop Playing by Joe Slack
- The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative by H. Porter Abbott
- The Grasshopper, by Bernard Suits
- The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies by Bernard Perron and Mark J.P. Wolf
- The Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory by David Herman
- The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design by Flint Dille & John Zuur Platten
- Unboxed: Board Game Experience and Design by Gordon Calleja
- Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques by Evan Skolnick
- Writing for Video Game Genres: From FPS to RPG edited by Wendy Despain
- Writing for Video Games by Steve Ince
- 100 Principles of Game Design by DESPAIN
