¶ Game Rules, Objectives and Goals
In the context of games, the goals, rules and objectives are the fundamental elements that shape the player's experience and define how the game is played, lost and won.
Whilst your game rules to some degree are set out, and will also dovetail with some of the game mechanics, it’s worth cementing many of the common rules that govern outcomes in your game.
¶ Game Rules
Your game's rules will dictate how the game functions and what actions players can or cannot perform.
They create structure and limitations within the game world, ensuring consistency and fairness.
¶ Game Rules Example
The rules you set to actually get a feel of things and see how these rules impact on the players experience.
Let’s take chess as an example:
In chess, each of the pieces are only allowed to move in a specific way.
The Bishop can only move diagonally whereas the Knight ( Horse ) can only moves in an "L" shape.
Often you’ll adjust and tweak these values to ensure your game feels balanced. It’s often also a good idea to challenge yourself on the purpose of these values and if these rules actually make sense, or indeed, if the player can ever break them. Perhaps a power up that can be collected or earned can adjust the base rules.
¶ Win and Lose States
These are the rules or conditions that define how a player wins or loses the game, or at least a section or level.
This could be the first to a certain score, wins a race or the last player standing in a battle royale or, as in our Mafia City game, runs out of health and is defeated.
These are the consequences for your player actions.
¶ Game Objectives
Objectives are the specific tasks or milestones the player must achieve to progress or reach the game's goals. While related to goals, objectives are more like stepping stones that guide players through the gameplay experience.
¶ Game Objectives Examples
- In an adventure game, an objective could be collect five keys to unlock the door to the next area.
- In a mission or level based game, objectives might include "rescue a group of hostages" or "gather resources to build a shelter."
- In a role-playing game (RPG), objectives may include side quests, such as "deliver a message to a nearby village.
¶ The 3 Types of Objectives:
¶ Primary objectives
These are the critical tasks needed to complete the main storyline or campaign, the end game state. This could be to defeat the final boss or collecting all the lost items, etc.
¶ Secondary objectives
These are often optional tasks that provide additional rewards or story depth. Perhaps collecting hidden items, completing side quests or in Mario, collecting stars, unlock bonus areas and apply buffs to the character.
¶ Time-sensitive objectives
Time sensitive objectives are tasks that must be completed within a certain time frame. This could be disarming a bomb before it explodes or a bonus level where you need to collect coins before the time expires.
These can be great to add tension and excitement to your game. You need to be careful with these mostly however, unless it’s a big factor in your core game loop.
In many games there’s a certain amount of time set and is the backbone of the core game loop and works really well controlling session time.
¶ Game Goals
Game goals represent the ultimate achievements or outcomes the player is trying to reach in the game. They give players a sense of purpose and direction.
¶ Game Goal Examples
There are many examples of Game goals, but here are 3 common outcomes.
- In a platformer game, the goal might be to reach the end of a level.
- In a racing game, the goal is to finish first in a race.
- In a strategy game, the goal could be to conquer all enemy territories or achieve economic dominance.
¶ 3 Types of Game Goals:
¶ Short-term goals
These are the immediate, bite-sized objectives that players can accomplish quickly.
They provide quick feedback and satisfaction, keeping players engaged and are fundamental in your game's core loop. These keep the player motivated moment-to-moment.
¶ Mid-term goals
The Mid-term goals take longer to achieve than the short-term goals, but should typically still be manageable within a single session or short sessions.. These goals often involve completing a series of short-term tasks or grinding for an amount of coins or resources..
Mid term goals create a sense of progression across sessions and are a strong driver in retention..
¶ Long-term goals
These are the overarching objectives that players work towards throughout the entire game. Long-term goals give the player a sense of purpose and a reason to invest time in the game.
Long term goals provide the player with a big-picture objective to strive for over the entire game, often culminating in the game's climax or final achievement.
By balancing these Short, Mid and Long term goals, you can keep players engaged for both short play sessions and long-term investment.
These are the cornerstones of effective game design and can be the difference between people playing your game only once and never to return, to be habit forming and playing your games days, weeks or even months after day zero.
¶ Summing Up
Rules define how players can achieve your game goals by setting the boundaries and interactions within the game world.
The Goals provide the player's overarching aim in the game and the objectives are the specific tasks or challenges players need to complete to move closer to achieving the final goal.
Together, these elements shape the player's experience, provide challenge and motivation and ensure that the game is engaging and rewarding.
Striking the perfect combination here is the key to player retention and increased session times.
¶ Related Topics
How to Improve Playtime How to improve Conversion Rate How to Improve Your Games Performance