Game Studies: What even is a game mechanic?

Captions: Illustration by Daniela Attard - used with permission (commissioned during DiGRA); Day 2 - Image caption- Prof. Espen Arseth author of the groundbreaking Cybertext (1997) book speaking at the Valletta Campus. Photo Credit - Paul Psaila; Workshops - Image captions - Workshops on Game Studies during DiGRA 2025 and Additional photographs from Pexels.

Paul Psaila, a student at the Institute of Digital Games, breaks down the academic discourse around what a game mechanic is in an entertaining new video.

Game Studies at University of Malta

What does it actually mean to study games? Game studies, also known as ludology, focuses on the academic analysis of games, exploring areas such as how games function in society, analysing the creative process of design, or dissecting game mechanics to inform innovative ways to make games. But what even is a game mechanic?

While this seems like a simple question, it turns out defining it is more complex than initially expected. Paul covers the basics of the academic discourse around game mechanics, shedding light on various approaches such as the MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics) Framework, Miguel Sicart’s definition of game mechanics, Steve Swink’s mechanics of feel, all of which are meant to break down games into component parts that can be discussed and analysed.

Immersion in Games

The University of Malta has one of the most prominent game studies scholars in Prof. Gordon Calleja. His influential work In-Game, published by MIT-Press, deconstructed the concept of immersion in games and proposed the "Player Involvement Model." His work is often cited alongside Jesper Juul’s Half-Real as a definitive text on how players experience games.

More mechanics

Paul is teaching a basic introduction to Unity (and Unreal) as part of the DegreePlus Course - DPG0941 Creating Virtual Worlds. The deadline to sign up has been extended. It’s your chance to get hands-on with game design. If you are interested in the power of game mechanics, join the Institute of Digital Games and Science and the City collaboration about the Power of Play: an evening of quick-fire 10-minute talks intertwined with live gameplay on 24 March at 18:00 at the Valletta Campus Theatre. We’ll explore the possibilities of play to engage with scientific, musical, political, and philosophical concepts.