Gameplay Mastery

The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.

This pattern is a still a stub.

As a game with no gameplay, Gameplay Mastery is impossible to achieve Progress Quest. Story-driven games, e.g. Adventure Games, e.g. Day of the Tentacle, Fahrenheit, Grim Fandango, and the Walking Dead series, have little or no gameplay that allows specific skills or knowledge to develop that can be re-used so claiming Gameplay Mastery in these are difficult to do. The exception may be in general puzzle solving based on the types of puzzle that exist in a particular genre or that a particular game designer creates.

Using the pattern

Given that Gameplay Mastery is mastering the specific gameplay of a game, there are as many ways of supporting Gameplay Mastery as there are gameplay which involve some type of skill or knowledge. On a general level, Complex Gameplay makes knowing the rules of a game part of reaching Gameplay Mastery while Challenging Gameplay guarantees that there is something to train at getting good at (or makes it more difficult to achieve Gameplay Mastery).

One aspect of Gameplay Mastery concerns being able to plan what to do in a game. This makes Predictable Consequences, Risk/Reward, Stimulated Planning, Strategic Knowledge, Tactical Planning, and Trade-Offs ways of allowing Gameplay Mastery to develop among players. More specific design features that support this are Deck Building, Puzzle Solving, and Resource Management. While the two latter of these taken place during gameplay, Deck Building can also occur before gameplay proper begins. Knowing when to do Construction/Scoring Phase Shifts or Speedending are specific examples, and players that know this will affect the Middlegame of games. Planning and creating Flip-Flop Events is another specific aspect of Gameplay Mastery which is possible in games with mutable Turn Taking. Games with Construction that can be used to create Combos or lead to Emergent Gameplay can also allow for Gameplay Mastery. On a general level, knowing how and when to perform Extended Actions in games which have them is also a source for Gameplay Mastery. Another, related, aspect of Gameplay Mastery is having the information or knowledge needed to perform gameplay actions. Games with Paper-Rock-Scissors require players to keep track of the game state to know when different actions should be made, and having this awareness is a common part of Gameplay Mastery. Having Real World Knowledge Advantages or keeping track of Trans-Game Information can allow for Gameplay Mastery before gameplay begin, while Memorizing allows it to take place during gameplay.

Being able to perform gameplay actions is also often a part of having Gameplay Mastery. The numerous ways this can be tested include Betting, Dexterity-Based Actions, Enactment, Negotiation, Player Physical Prowess, Rhythm-Based Actions, Social Skills, Storytelling, Timing, and controlling Vehicles. More contextual examples include being able to Roleplay that one is not the one that performed certain Anonymous Actions or performing Combos in games with Challenging Gameplay or Complex Gameplay. Slightly more general, avoiding Obstacles or Overcoming enemies require gameplay actions that performing well signals Gameplay Mastery. Competence Areas is a overarching way to provide Gameplay Mastery since any game with Competence Areas by definition has areas in which players can become proficient.

Gameplay Mastery also requires that players have sufficiently difficult goals to try and complete. On a general level, Further Player Improvement Potential provides this and games that encourage players to have FUBAR Enjoyment at least place players in difficult situations. Skill-based Multiplayer Games let players have Further Player Improvement Potential as long as more skilled players can be found and is for this reason a very common design features that supports the presence of Gameplay Mastery. Smooth Learning Curves guides players so they don't start with too difficult challenges but may require players to play through too easy before getting to parts which match their skill levels. Difficulty Levels in contrast let players set an appropriate level for themselves; the danger to this solution being that players can satisfy themselves with being able to complete a game at a certain Difficulty Level and not push themselves to their full potential. Achievements and the possibility of Speedruns encourage players to play in ways that typically are more difficult and thereby motivate players to fully develop a Gameplay Mastery as long as the Achievements and the challenges of Speedruns match the gameplay challenges of the game. While having Experimenting as part of gameplay does not necessarily in itself provide skills that allow Gameplay Mastery but can allow players to try different types of actions and therefore promote players to reach Gameplay Mastery.

Perceivable Margins,

Consequences

Allowing players to feel Gameplay Mastery or at least see that they can have it in the future can have several consequences for a game. It can give players Emotional Engrossment and a sense of Empowerment and Player Agency, and provide Value of Effort when players experience having it. In general, it provides Replayability to a game since players may wish to play the game many times to reach Gameplay Mastery. A negative effect of Gameplay Mastery is that players that have it can lead to games having a Predictable Winner.

Having Gameplay Mastery can be a Social Reward if others can notice it and can support Actor Detachment. For games with Cooperation and different possible roles for players to take, Gameplay Mastery can lead to Role Fulfillment and through this fulfilling Social Roles and making Team Development happen.