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What is a game mechanic?

I know, this is a book about practical game design, but when it comes to game mechanics and the core elements of gameplay, we have to go through some theory.

Formally defining anything is a difficult task; I always prefer to quote definitions from different authors. All of them are equally correct and the different points of view complement each other. It is not our goal with this book to give a comprehensive definition, what's important is that a clear idea can stick in your designer mind by reading them!

Mechanics are the various actions, behaviors, and control mechanisms afforded to the player within a game context.

–'MDA: Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics Framework' by Hunicke, M. LeBlanc, R. Zubek

Game mechanics are rule based systems/simulations that facilitate and encourage a user to explore and learn the properties of their possibility space through the use of feedback mechanisms.

–'A Theory of Fun' by Raph Koster

They are the interactions and relationships that remain when all of the aesthetics, technology, and story are stripped away.

–'The Art of Game Design' by Jesse Schell

Got it? Great!

It may all sound pretty simple, but those definitions took hard work and much thought to be written in black and white. Again, we are not going in-depth into these because this book is about the practical use of this knowledge more than the knowledge itself. Make sure to read the source articles and books from which we have taken these definitions; they are a must-read for every aspiring game designer.