Ben Gonshaw: Digital Media Theorist & Game Design Consultant
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A PRIORI: PRIORITISING GAME MECHANICS

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The process of separating mechanics out into two interrelated but separate types is not simply an academic exercise. It allows designers to focus exactly on what comprises their game, teasing apart two aspects of design that are often muddled together by inexperienced designers. It also allows producers and marketers to steer production in a more focussed way, by splitting the design and production process into two distinct pre-production phases.

The first preproduction phase is in honing the ‘a priori’ mechanics. A team can rapidly implement these in a representationalist framework. Using basic graphics and sound, a development team can quickly ascertain whether their game will work and what aspects need to be altered to make it more fun. This way they can prove to themselves that the game is a goer. Meanwhile production and marketing can settle on an exact setting that will sell and script writers and story editors can create the game world concept. Stage two of pre-production can begin, the design and development of ‘a posteriori’ mechanics, safe in the knowledge that they have a solid foundation of a 'fun' working game.

Academic approaches to gaming can yield interesting theories, but they can also result in practical lessons to help games development become more focussed. Ludological approaches should be the foundation of a good gameplay experience, whilst narrativist inclinations help towards a vision and purpose for the project. Before long the two aspects must meet and influence each other, bringing together the best aspects from both disciplines to create the gestalt.

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