Monitoring

Mechanism · V – Information & Knowledge aggregated · reversible · open / asymmetric · solo / competitive / asymmetric

Monitoring observes behaviour systematically and turns it into data: tracking creates overview, control or an information advantage (statistics, warning, leaderboard).

Design question – How is behaviour observed and turned into data in your game?

Reference example – Scotland Yard: every one of Mister X’s tickets is recorded openly on the travel log. Pokémon: the Pokédex records which Pokémon have been seen and caught. Tennis: Hawk-Eye tracks every ball and shows whether it was in. Kompetitive Spiele (Leaderboard) · Scotland Yard (Hidden Movement) · Pandemic (Alert System)

Structural pattern

Input -> transformation -> output: actions and states (player behaviour) become data and overview (statistics, warning, leaderboard) via an observation system (tracking).

Regulated in permitting mode (what can be observed and who has access to what), constraining mode (range of observation; how often it updates) and conditioning mode (thresholds trigger a warning or tracking). How the data are displayed is appearance; in a game, range, update rate and thresholds become specifications.

Design parameters

• Object – individual actions ↔ overall behaviour
• Access – symmetric (everyone sees everything) ↔ asymmetric (only the observer)
• Representation – raw data ↔ visualized/hidden
• Automation – manual ↔ automatic (the game tracks)
• Consequence – informative ↔ triggering (at threshold -> action)

Related Mechanisms

• Feedback (MEC-30) – Frequently combined: feed observed data back.
• Deduction (MEC-17) – Frequently combined: reason from observation.
• Scoring (MEC-09) – Frequently combined: observation as a scoring basis.
• Enforcement (MEC-23) – Frequently combined: intervene on rule violation.

Ludic Organisational Structures

Commons · Reputation / Trust System (core) · Alliance System · Hierarchy (dynamic)