Systems Design

Economies, progression, balance, and emergence - the interconnected rules that create depth and replayability.

Entries

Entry What it covers
Economy & Resources How value flows through videogames
Progression Systems Tracking and displaying player advancement
Balance Philosophy What "balance" means and how to achieve it
Emergent Behavior Complex patterns from simple rules

Core Insight

Systems design is about relationships between parts, not individual mechanics.

A resource matters because of what creates it, what consumes it, and what it enables. A progression system matters because of what it rewards and what it gates. Balance matters relative to the experience you're creating.

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