Game Rules
Game Rules
Operational, Structural, Implicit
In this blog I will discuss and explain the three rule types
for games, using Star Wars Battlefront II, released in 2017 by DICE, Motive Studio
and Criterion Software, to give examples of each rule type in action.
Operational
Operational rules are often considered as ‘the rules of play’. Usually thought of as the only rules the player needs to be taught, or the only rules that are deliberately shown to the player, operational rules direct the players behaviour and usually dictate how the game is played. To give an example of an operational rule from Battlefront II, in any multiplayer game mode with a mix of hero characters and base class troopers, killing enemies gives you a certain amount of points so that you can upgrade and choose a hero character.
Trooper Selection Screen
As you can see from the above image, the player has enough ‘Battle
Points’ to unlock the Jet Trooper or Wookie class, which have improved statistics
compared to the base troopers, but does not have enough points for the Hero characters,
Rey or Han Solo, which are much better characters than the base troopers. I believe
this is an operational rule because it is a rule that encourages players to be
more aggressive as base characters, to go for more kills, therefore dictacting how
the player plays the game.
Structural
The structural rules of a game are the core logic of the
game, the mathematical rules. They are often not shown to the player and while
they are the core mathematical rules of the game, they are not something the
player has to explicitly do. A very basic example of a structural rule in
Battlefront II is the jumping. Every hero character in the game can jump, but
some characters have a clear advantage when it comes to height on their jump. This
rule was included to give an increased gameplay variety but is nearly
impossible to notice while playing the game. Therefore, I consider it as a
structural rule of Battlefront II and a good example of structural rule for
games in general.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-UWVWYHjNs)
Implicit
Implicit rules are often referred to as ‘unwritten rules’, or
the ‘unwritten laws’ of a game. They are very rarely spoken about when a game
is played and are based off how the players conduct themselves when playing the
game. Upon reflecting on this rule, I realised that I myself have broken the
implicit rules of Battlefront II, breaking the game to gain an unfair advantage
over other players. I made use of a game bug which allowed me to get above the
map on one of the multiplayer modes and shoot down on other players, while they
had no idea where the were getting shot from.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOcS69PpTlw)
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