


reading manuals or checking forums) or problem solving (e.g. Knowledge based behaviors present players with an activity with which they have little or no prior experience or understanding, and therefore must undertake some form of research (e.g.Preparing to load a saved game on a console is be an example of a rules-based behavior, as it follows a checklist of steps to navigate through menus to find the appropriate saved game file and load it.


Rules based behaviors hinge on following known mental steps and checklists built to guide the activity and require individuals to put more effort into carrying them out.An example of a skill based behavior common to console gamers is using the left and right thumbsticks to look around and move an avatar in game. Skill based behaviors are activities that are common and routine for an experienced individual and do not require much attention to execute instead, the process is "triggered" and carried out in an automated fashion.One such method, the Skills, Rules, and Knowledge Framework (SRK), which was first presented by Jens Rasmussen in 1983, focuses on categorizing different types of cognitive behavior across three different levels. By using established methods of assessing and modeling cognitive behavior, game designers might gain better insight into the likely thought processes of players, enabling them to improve the quality of mechanics in game. If a mechanic is too complex for players to understand, the result may be player frustration, whereas if a mechanic is too simple, it can quickly lead to player boredom and repetitive gameplay. Yet in their design a crucial factor can be overlooked with regards to how game mechanics are made or adjusted through the development process: understanding the ways in which players think and learn about the function of game mechanics is key to determining their effectiveness. They are the primary method by which players are able to operate in a game environment to overcome the challenges and obstacles that a game's developers have placed down. Mechanics are the core building blocks of any game.
