Beyond Game Mechanics
- Oct 9, 2025
- 1 min read
8-9 October 2025
“Game mechanics” is a frequently referenced yet contested term in game studies. There have been some efforts to define it, of which perhaps the most widely known is Sicart’s (2008) definition of game mechanics as “methods invoked by agents interacting with the game world.” The term has also been explored for its tangled relationship to game rules as well as narrative, while for certain game genres (e.g. MOBAs, FPSs, Soulslike) it can refer to the player’s ability to complete game tasks that involve a non-trivial amount of manual dexterity. Despite its ubiquitous usage, the question of what exactly is a game mechanic persists, yet no one is under any doubt of their importance to games: Adams and Dormans (2009) write in the opening chapter of their book that “game mechanics are the rules, processes, and data at the heart of a game” (emphasis added, p. 1).
The “Beyond Game Mechanics” Seminar seeks to bring together game researchers and practitioners to the School of Creative Media at the City University of Hong Kong for a playful and enlightening discussion of game mechanics.