Editing Gameplay

{{short description|Specific way in which players interact with a game}}
{{other uses}}
{{Video games}}
{{Wiktionary}}

'''Gameplay''' is the specific way in which players interact with a [[game]].<ref name="E">{{cite book|quote=.. gameplay [[Gestalt psychology|gestalt]], understood as a pattern of interaction with the game system." ("A gestalt may be understood as a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts."); ".. In general, it [game play gestalt] is a particular way of thinking about the game state from the perspective of a player, together with a pattern of repetitive perceptual, cognitive, and motor operations. A particular gameplay gestalt could be unique to a person, a game, or even a playing occasion. Unique game play gestalts can also be identified across games, game genres, and players.|doi=10.1007/978-3-540-27797-2_25 | title=Technologies for Interactive Digital Storytelling and Entertainment: Proceedings of TIDSE 2004|volume=3105 |publisher=Springer|date=June 24–26, 2004|chapter=Narrative, Game Play, and Alternative Time Structures for Virtual Environments|pages=183–194|first= Craig |last= Lindley|editor-first=Stefan | editor-last=Göbel|location=Darmstadt, Germany|isbn=978-3-540-22283-5|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science }}</ref><ref name="K">{{cite book | title=Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals | url=https://archive.org/details/rulesplaygamedes00sale | url-access=limited | first1=Katie | last1=Salen | first2=Eric | last2=Zimmerman | page=[https://archive.org/details/rulesplaygamedes00sale/page/n24 3] | year=2004 | publisher=The MIT Press | location=Cambridge, Massachusetts | isbn=978-0-262-24045-1 |quote=Game play is the formalized interaction that occurs when players follow the rules of a game and experience its system through play.}}</ref> The term applies to both [[video game]]s<ref name="C">{{cite book |last1=Lindley |first1=Craig |url=http://www.bth.se/fou/forskinfo.nsf/8ea71836fbadac09c125733300214ab9/f336e780df204cf4c125753d003d3b45!OpenDocument |title=Dissecting Play – Investigating the Cognitive and Emotional Motivations and Affects of Computer Gameplay |last2=Nacke |first2=Lennart |last3=Sennersten |first3=Charlotte |date=November 3–5, 2008 |publisher=University of Wolverhampton |isbn=978-0-9549016-6-0 |location=Wolverhampton, UK |quote=The experience of gameplay is one of interacting with a game design in the performance of cognitive tasks, with a variety of emotions arising from or associated with different elements of motivation, task performance and completion |access-date=2010-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195055/http://www.bth.se/fou/forskinfo.nsf/8ea71836fbadac09c125733300214ab9/f336e780df204cf4c125753d003d3b45!OpenDocument |archive-date=2015-09-23 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="J">{{cite book|quote=[T]he interactive involvement typically associated with videogames, that is, the activities that occur when one plays a videogame.|last=Tavinor|first=Grant|title=The Art of Videogames|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|date=October 5, 2009|isbn=978-1-4051-8788-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LM3hnwGb8xUC&q=Gameplay&pg=PA86 |access-date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223214633/https://books.google.com/books?id=LM3hnwGb8xUC&pg=PA86&dq=Gameplay|archive-date= February 23, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and [[Tabletop game|tabletop games]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chrysostomou |first=George |date=2024-07-25 |title=How Dice Rolls Became Modern Gaming's Most Important Mechanic |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/how-dice-rolls-became-modern-gamings-most-important-mechanic/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Den of Geek |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Abbott |first=Benjamin |date=2022-11-03 |title=Best board games 2024: Must-haves to play with friends and family |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-board-games/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=gamesradar |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-16 |title=Splendor Duel Board Game Review |url=https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/reviews/splendor-duel-board-game-review/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Tabletop Gaming}}</ref> Gameplay is the connection between the player and the game, the player's overcoming of challenges,<ref name= "A">{{cite book| quote=One or more casually linked series of challenges in a simulated environment"; "Gameplay is the result of a large number of contributing elements. .. gameplay is not a singular entity. It is a combination of many elements, a synergy that emerges from the inclusion of certain factors. .. The gameplay emerges from the interaction among these elements, .. |title=Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on game design | last1=Adams | first1=Ernest | last2=Rollings | first2=Andrew | year=2003  | publisher=New Riders Publishing | isbn=978-1-59273-001-8 | ref=AdRol }}</ref><ref name="H">{{cite book|quote=.. defined gameplay as consisting of the challenges and actions that a game offers: challenges for the player to overcome and actions that let her overcome them. .. [T]he essence of gameplay remains the relationship between the challenges and the actions available to surmount them.|last=Adams|first=Ernest|title=Fundamentals of Game Design|publisher=Prentice Hall|date=September 23, 2006|isbn=978-0-13-168747-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-BCrex2U1XMC&pg=PA251|access-date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223173802/https://books.google.com/books?id=-BCrex2U1XMC&pg=PA251&lpg=PA251&q= |archive-date=February 23, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="I">{{cite book |last=Laramée |first=François Dominic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T9kS82J5LG0C&q=%22gameplay&pg=PA70 |title=Game Design Perspectives |date=June 15, 2002 |publisher=Charles River Media |isbn=978-1-58450-090-2 |access-date=September 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223200211/https://books.google.com/books?id=T9kS82J5LG0C&pg=PA70&dq=%22gameplay |archive-date=February 23, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and the pattern of player behavior defined through the game's rules.<ref name="K" /><ref name="G">{{cite book |last1=Egenfeldt-Nielson |first1=Simon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=31XHdVXlbt0C&q=gameplay+%22how+it+feels+to+play+a+game%22&pg=PA101 |title=Understanding Video Games: The Essential Introduction |last2=Smith |first2=Jonas Heide |last3=Tosca |first3=Susana Pajares |date=February 19, 2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-97721-0 |quote=In line with the common use of the term, we will define gameplay as: the game dynamics emerging from the interplay between rules and game geography. |access-date=September 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223173707/https://books.google.com/books?id=31XHdVXlbt0C&pg=PA101&dq=gameplay+%22how+it+feels+to+play+a+game%22 |archive-date=February 23, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref> 

==History==
[[File:Edge (video game) edge time, animated.gif|thumb|A gameplay of an early version of the puzzle game ''[[Edge (video game)|Edge]]'']]
Arising alongside [[game development|video game development]] in the 1980s, the term ''gameplay'' was initially used solely within the context of video games, though now it is also used for tabletop games.<ref name="The Stupidest Word in Videogames">{{cite book|last=Kierkegaard|first=Alex|title=Videogame Culture: Volume 1|year=2012}}</ref>

==Definition of term==
There is no consensus on the precise definition of gameplay. It has been differently defined by different authors, but all definitions refer to player interaction with a game. For example:
* "The structures of player interaction with the game system and with other players in the game."<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Björk |first1=Staffan |title=Patterns in Game Design |last2=Holopainen |first2=Jussi |publisher=Charles River Media |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-58450-354-5}}</ref>
* "Gameplay here is seen as the interactive gaming process of the player with the game."<ref name="nackeDiGRA">{{cite journal |last1=Nacke |first1=Lennart E. |last2=Drachen |first2=Anders |last3=Kuikkaniemi |first3=Kai |last4=Niesenhaus |first4=Joerg |last5=Korhonen |first5=Hannu |last6=van den Hoogen |first6=Wouter |last7=Poels |first7=Karolien |last8=IJsselsteijn |first8=Wijnand |last9=de Kort |first9=Yvonne |display-authors=8 |date=September 1, 2009 |title=Playability and Player Experience Research |url=http://www.digra.org/dl/display_html?chid=http://www.digra.org/dl/db/09287.44170.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Proceedings of DiGRA 2009: Breaking New Ground: Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112141834/http://www.digra.org/dl/display_html?chid=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digra.org%2Fdl%2Fdb%2F09287.44170.pdf |archive-date=November 12, 2011 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |quote=''playability'' is the evaluative process directed toward games, whereas ''player experience'' is directed toward players. More precisely, playability methods evaluate games to improve design, whereas player experience methods evaluate players to improve gaming.(p.1) |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
Theorists also agree that video game gameplay is distinct from graphics<ref name="B">{{cite book |title=Concise Oxford English Dictionary |date=August 11, 2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press, US |isbn=978-0-19-954841-5 |edition=11, Revised |quote=gameplay (in a computer game) the plot and the way the game is played, as distinct from the graphics and sound effects}}</ref><ref name="D">{{cite book |last=Oxland |first=Kevin |title=Gameplay and design |publisher=Addison Wesley |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-321-20467-7 |quote=.. gameplay is the components that make up a rewarding, absorbing, challenging experience that compels player to return for more .. [Gameplay] does not come from a great visual character, not does it come from state-of-art technology and beautifully rendered art. |ref=Oxland}}</ref> and audio elements.<ref name="B" />

Some theorists add more specific elements to the basic definition of gameplay as the interaction between players and games. For example:
* "One or more causally linked series of challenges in a simulated environment."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Adams |first1=Ernest |title=Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on game design |last2=Rollings |first2=Andrew |publisher=New Riders Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-59273-001-8 |ref=AdRol}}</ref>
* "The experience of gameplay is one of interacting with a game design in the performance of cognitive tasks, with a variety of emotions arising from or associated with different elements of motivation, task performance and completion."<ref name="C" />
* In ''The Videogame Theory Reader'', G. Frasca identifies three components to gameplay: "Manipulation rules" ( defining what the player can do in the game) "Goal Rules" (defining the goal of the game), and "Metarules" (defining how a game can be tuned or modified).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Frasca |first=G |year=2003 |title=Simulation versus narrative: introduction to ludology |journal=The Videogame Theory Reader |pages=221}}</ref>

==Types==
Gameplay can be divided into several types. For example, ''[[Cooperative video game|cooperative gameplay]]'' involves two or more players playing together, often on a team. Below is a non-exhaustive list of various gameplay types:

* [[Asymmetric video game]]
* [[Cooperative video game]]
* [[Emergent gameplay]]
* [[Nonlinear gameplay]]

==Playability==
Playability is a measure of the quality of gameplay. Playability represents the ease, quantity, or duration that a game can be played.<ref>[http://www.usabilityfirst.com/glossary/term_657.txl Usability First: Usability Glossary: playability<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018082237/http://www.usabilityfirst.com/glossary/term_657.txl |date=2009-10-18 }}</ref> Playability evaluative methods target games to improve design, while player experience evaluative methods target players to improve gaming.<ref name="nackeDiGRA"/> 

Different scholars analyze playability according to different sets of criteria. For example, in ''Playability: analyzing user experience in video games'', the researchers define playability as a set of properties that describe player experience using a specific game system: satisfaction, learning, efficiency, immersion, motivation, emotion, and socialization.<ref name=Gonzalez2012>{{cite journal|last=González Sánchez|first=J. L.|author2=Gutiérrez Vela, F.L. | author3=Montero Simarro, F. | author4=Padilla-Zea, N.|title=Playability: analysing user experience in video games|journal=Behaviour & Information Technology|date=31 Aug 2012|volume=31|issue=10|pages=1033–1054|doi=10.1080/0144929X.2012.710648|s2cid=7073571}}</ref> However, in ''A video game's elements ontology'', the researchers define the facets of playability as: intrinsic, mechanical, interactive, artistic, personal, and social.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=González Sánchez |first1=J. L. |last2=Gutiérrez Vela |first2=F. L. |website=Stanford Ontology Library|url=http://lsi.ugr.es/joseluisgs/videojuegos.owl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603184631/http://lsi.ugr.es/joseluisgs/videojuegos.owl|archive-date=2010-06-03|date=2010-06-03|title=A video game's elements ontology|publisher=University of Granada |location=Spain}}</ref>

These concepts of "playability" are not to be confused with the ability to control (or play) characters in multi-character games such as [[role playing game]]s or [[fighting game]]s, or factions in [[real-time strategy]] games.

==See also==
* [[Game development]] and [[Game design]]
* [[Game mechanics]]
* [[Interaction design]]
* [[Play (activity)]]
* [[Time-keeping systems in games]]
* [[Video game genres]]

==Further reading on playability==

* Desurvire, H., Caplan, M., & Toth, J. A. (2004). Using heuristics to evaluate the playability of games. CHI '04 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems, Vienna, Austria. {{doi|10.1145/985921.986102}}
* Fabricatore, C., Nussbaum, M., & Rosas, R. (2002). Playability in video games: a qualitative design model. Human-Computer Interaction, 17(4), 311–368. {{doi|10.1207/S15327051HCI1704_1}}
* Jegers, K. (2008). Investigating the Applicability of Usability and Playability Heuristics for Evaluation of Pervasive Games. Internet and Web Applications and Services, 2008. ICIW '08.
* Korhonen, H., & Koivisto, E. M. I. (2006). Playability heuristics for mobile games. In Proceedings of the 8th Conference on Human-Computer interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (Helsinki, Finland, September 12–15, 2006). MobileHCI '06, vol. 159. ACM, New York, NY, 9-16. [[doi:10.1145/1152215.1152218]]
* Korhonen H., Koivisto E.M.I. (2007). Playability Heuristics for Mobile Multi-player Games. In proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Digital Interactive Media in Entertainment and Arts, DIMEA 2007, ACM Press (2007), pp.&nbsp;28–35. Perth, Australia. [[doi:10.1145/1306813.1306828]]
* Nacke, L. (2009). From Playability to a Hierarchical Game Usability Model. In Proceedings of the 2009 Conference on Future Play on @ GDC Canada (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, May 12–13, 2009). FuturePlay '09. ACM, New York, NY, 11–12. [[doi:10.1145/1639601.1639609]]
* Nacke, L. E., Drachen, A., Kuikkaniemi, K., Niesenhaus, J., Korhonen, H. J., Hoogen, W. M. v. d., et al. (2009). [http://www.digra.org/dl/display_html?chid=http://www.digra.org/dl/db/09287.44170.pdf Playability and Player Experience Research]. Proceedings of DiGRA 2009: Breaking New Ground: Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory, London, UK. ([http://www.slideshare.net/acagamic/playability-player-experience-research online slides])
* Järvinen, A., Heliö, S. and Mäyrä, F. Communication and Community in Digital Entertainment Services. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100830235423/http://tampub.uta.fi/tup/951-44-5432-4.pdf Prestudy Research Report], Hypermedia Laboratory, University of Tampere, Tampere, 2002.
* González Sánchez, J. L., Zea, N. P., & Gutiérrez, F. L. (2009). From Usability to Playability: Introduction to Player-Centred Video Game Development Process. Proceedings of First International Conference, HCD 2009 (Held as Part of HCI International), San Diego, CA, US. [[doi:10.1007/978-3-642-02806-9_9]]
* González Sánchez, J. L., Zea, N. P., & Gutiérrez, F. L. (2009). Playability: How to Identify the Player Experience in a Video Game. Proceedings of INTERACT 2009: 12th IFIP TC 13 International Conference, Uppsala, Sweden, August 24–28, 2009. [[doi:10.1007/978-3-642-03655-2_39]]
* González Sánchez, J. L., Montero, F., Padilla Zea, N., Gutiérrez, F. L. "Playability as Extension of Quality in Use in Video Games". Proceedings of 2nd International Workshop on the Interplay between Usability Evaluation and Software Development (I-USED), paper number 6.Uppsala, Sweden, 24 August (2009)
* {{cite book |editor-link=Hubert Phillips |editor-last=Phillips |editor-first=Hubert |date=1957 |title=Culbertson's Card Games Complete |location=Watford |publisher=Arco}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

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[[Category:Video game design]]
[[Category:Video game terminology]]