What Are Games Made Of?
Adapted from “Art of Game Design” by Jesse Schell
Four Basic Elements
More visible
Aesthetics
Mechanics
Less visible
Story
Technology
The Elemental Tetrad
Elemental Tetrad

Mechanics




Procedures and rules of your game
Describe the goal of your game, how players can
try to achieve it, and what happens when they try
Main differentiator between games and linear
entertainment experiences (books, movies, etc.)
Choose technology that can support your
mechanics, aesthetics that emphasize them
clearly and a story that allows your mechanics to
make sense.
Elemental Tetrad

Story




Sequence of events in your game
May be linear and pre-scripted or branching and
emergent
Choose mechanics that strengthen your story and
allows your story to emerge
Choose aesthetics to help reinforce ideas of your
story and technology that is best suited to the
story
Elemental Tetrad

Aesthetics





How your game looks, sounds, smells, tastes and
feels.
Most direct relationship to the player’s experience
Choose technology that will amplify and reinforce
your aesthetics
Choose mechanics that make players feel
immersed in the world that the aesthetics have
defined
Choose a story that allows your aesthetics to
emerge at the right pace and have the most
impact
Elemental Tetrad

Technology

Doesn’t just refer to “high technology” but any
materials and interactions that make your game
possible



Paper and pencil, plastic coins, etc.
The choice of technology enables your game to
do certain things and prohibits other things
Technology is the medium in which the aesthetics
take place, the mechanics will occur and through
which the story will be told.
Elemental Tetrad



None of the 4 elements are more important
than the others
Technological elements tend to be the least
visible to players; aesthetics are the most
visible.
Other ways of organizing the tetrad



Technology and mechanics are “left brain”
elements
Aesthetics and story are “right brain” elements
All four elements are essential to a game