Gameplay Mastery

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

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

Left 4 Dead series

Quake

Chess Go

Poker Texas Hold'em

Street Fighter series

League of Legends Defense of the Ancients

Anti-Examples

optional

Relations

Instantiates: Emotional Engrossment, Empowerment, Investments

Instantiated by: Competence Areas, Perceivable Margins, Trans-Game Information, Resource Management, Rhythm-Based Actions, Overcome, Experimenting, Limited Resources, Negotiation, Predefined Goals, Timing, Risk/Reward, Smooth Learning Curves, Paper-Rock-Scissors, Betting

Modulated by: , Penalties, Asymmetric Abilities, Tournaments, Red Queen Dilemmas, Player Balance, Engrossment, Levels, Symmetry

Can Instantiate

Actor Detachment, Player Agency, Predictable Winner, Social Roles, Replayability, Role Fulfillment, Social Rewards, Team Development, Value of Effort

Can Modulate

Middlegame, Performance Uncertainty, Player/Character Skill Composites

Can Be Instantiated By

Achievements, Challenging Gameplay, Complex Gameplay, Construction/Scoring Phase Shift, Collaborative Actions, Deck Building, Dexterity-Based Actions, Difficulty Levels, Enactment, Extended Actions, Flip-Flop Events, FUBAR Enjoyment, Further Player Improvement Potential, Memorizing, Multiplayer Games, Obstacles, Player Physical Prowess, Player Unpredictability, Pre-Customized Decks, Predictable Consequences, Puzzle Solving, Real World Knowledge Advantages, Seamful Gameplay, Social Skills, Speedending, Speedruns, Stimulated Planning, Storytelling, Strategic Knowledge, Tactical Planning, Trade-Offs, Vehicles

AI Players together with Difficulty Levels

Anonymous Actions together with Roleplaying

Combos together with Challenging Gameplay or Complex Gameplay

Construction together with with Combos or Emergent Gameplay

Can Be Modulated By

Clickability, Excluding Goals, Goal Achievements, Handicap Achievements, High Score Lists, Illusionary Rewards, Meta Games, Multiplayer Games, Public Player Statistics, Rewards, Sidegrades, Spectators, Uncertainty of Outcome, Varied Gameplay

Repeat Combos together with Goal Achievements or Spectators

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Auto-Aim, Balancing Effects, Challenging Gameplay, Difficulty Levels, Exaggerated Perception of Influence, Freedom of Choice, Luck, Player Augmentations, Player/Character Skill Composites, Purchasable Game Advantages, Randomness, Vision Modes

Emotional Engrossment in games with Algorithmic Agents

Player/Character Skill Composites together with Character Development or Player Balance

Player Balance in Multiplayer Games

History

An updated version of the pattern Gameplay Mastery that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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