Rules, Objectives and Goals
Games have rules and the most important rule is the objective of the game, what the player must achieve in order to win the game. Rules define where players can go, what they can do, and how they interact with other objects and characters in the game. It is critically important that the player clearly understands the objective of the game, a game whose objective is unclear will never be a good game.
It is also important to include short term goals in your game, that give the player a sense of progress and accomplishment.
Rules also must be fair, that is, all players should have the same chance of success, if the fairness of the game changes or is different for different players then this must be clear in the rules of the game.
Rules should generally be clearly communicated so that players know what they have to do to win and why they may lose. In Kodu Game Lab, rules can be conveyed in the description of the game or they can be communicated using in game dialogs. For some games, the rules may be obvious for other games the rules will not be obvious at all.
Games can have different modes, where rules that apply in one mode do not apply in another. Usually these modes are time limited but can also be triggered by location or by certain events.
Good rules are:
1. Clear.
2. Achievable
3. Satisfying
Questions to ask:
What are the rules of my game?
Are the goals clear to the player?
Are there short term goals which build interest in the game?
Is the player able to choose their own goals?