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Rules, Mechanics, and Ludemes

Jan 23, 20254 min read

Since game rules and ludemes are entangled, a bit of a definition is in order.

Rules and Mechanics

Rules are the basic constraints and affordances of a game, for example how far or fast you are allowed to move, or what gives you score or takes a life. Mechanics, by contrast, are the emergent systems that arise from rules being put into practice - they’re about how the game actually plays and feels when humans interact with it. For example:

  • Control of an area emerging from movement and capture rules
  • Access to the next room after successfully solving a spatial riddle by pushing different blocks and finding the hidden door-switch

“While the rules can dictate how the game works, the mechanics refer to the rules that establish how the player participates in the game.” (Fernández-Vara, 2019, p. 98)

“Game mechanics are concerned with the actual interaction with the game state, while rules provide the possibility space where that interaction is possible, regulating as well the transition between states. In this sense, rules are modeled after agency, while mechanics are modeled for agency.” (Sicart, 2008)

Verbs represent the core actions players can take within a game and corelate strongly to its mechanics.

“Following JĂ€rvinen (2008), the best way of understanding mechanics as methods is to formalize them as verbs, with other syntactical/structural elements, such as rules, having influence on how those verbs act in the game. For example, in Shadow of the Colossus we find the following mechanics: to climb, ride (the horse), stab, jump, shoot (arrows), whistle, grab, run (and variations like swim or dive). In Gears of War, a non-comprehensive list would be: cover, shoot, reload, throw (grenade), look (at a point of interest), use, give orders, switch weapons[2]. All of these are methods for agency within the game world, actions the player can take within the space of possibility created by the rules.” (Sicart, 2008)

Mechanics are highly relational and can change during gameplay or arise only in certain moments.

“Contextual mechanics are analytical concepts that can be used to understand how players decode the information in a level - how a player perceives certain structures and how those structures are used to communicate intended uses or behaviors.” (Sicart, 2008)

Rules and Ludemes

Ludemes are the smallest meaningful conceptual units of game play that can be identified and combined and usually equivalent to the game’s rules. The concepts of “rule” and “ludeme” are deeply connected but differ significantly in their scope and purpose within game design and analysis.

Rules serve as the fundamental structure of games. They define the constraints, permissions, and interactions within the game environment, essentially shaping how players engage with the game, guiding and restricting player actions, ensuring a coherent experience.

Ludemes are more abstract and granular than rules. They represent the fundamental “atoms” of gameplay, encompassing not only rules but may even do so mechanics, context, and feedback loops.

As an example a ludeme in a platformer might involve jumping from one platform to another under fire, where the verb/mechanic (jumping), constraints (gravity), and feedback (landing safely or falling) are interwoven. Ludemes are an important analytical concept, as they allow for the analysis of gameplay as interconnected systems of meaning, emphasizing how elements combine to create the player experience

tl;dr

  • Rules: Focused on the structural framework and logical constraints of the game. They are discrete directives that guide player interactions.
  • Ludemes: Broader conceptual units that encapsulate rules, mechanics, and the player’s experiential and contextual interactions within the game world.

Ludemes are the conceptual elements of the game, most typically equivalent to its “rules” of play. For example, whereas the material piece shaped like a horse and designated “knight” is a component of the game, the distinctively skewed move of a knight is a ludeme of the class “rule of movement”. But other types of ludemes also exist. For example, the name, referend and associated connotations of “knight”  - those of a chivalric courtier - may be said to constitute a thematic ludeme.(Parlett, 2006)

See also