Rules vs. Mechanics

Hmm, I read something interesting: http://www.raphkoster.com/2011/12/13/rules-versus-mechanics/


One day,  Ian Schreiber  tweeted, "Game designers: in your everyday use of the terms, is there a difference between “rules” and “mechanics”? If so, what?" Raph Koster decided to answer that, but unfortunately his answer was too large enough for a tweet. He basically explained that every game is composed of smaller games, and each of those smaller games compliment each other in a fashion that supports the overall game. Each of those smaller games are basically mechanics. For example, one mechanic would be the jumping mechanic; it first considers all your previous progress (which consist of many small games), the act of jumping (which utilizes the rules of physics, especially the force against gravity), and the act of landing on an enemy to kill it (where the rule known as "player colliding with enemy and player's last position was above enemy" comes to fruition). These acts are dynamics carried out by the player through her choices, all thanks to the existence of the mechanics, and the rules that give the mechanics their existence. It's like a building; the rules allow mechanics to exist, and mechanics allow dynamics to exist.

At least that's how I understood it. To be honest, the article was quite confusing, but it gives you another designer's perspective on game design semantics. I feel knowing the difference between rules and mechanics is important, as it will help the designer break down and carefully construct her experience knowing the exact nature of her components. In this case scenario, the designer will choose rules that are not too loose and not too tight. With that, the rules will naturally generate mechanics that the player can use to partake in the game - mechanics are the part that are consciously on the player's mind, not the rules; the player knows that she can jump on an enemy to kill it, but does not think about "the rules of physics allowing force to drift the player upward", and, "collision with enemy provided that the player is above the enemy on the y-axis on the previous frame". Finally, how the player uses the mechanics become the the very essence of dynamics.