However , video games also hold another unique aspect in being so often defined through their mechanics , whether it be hack and slash , RPG or platformer . Though this is unusual , it comes from the more

physical , hands-on nature of playing video games .

Unlike other media , games are first and

foremost defined by their gameplay , whether the controls are tight and responsive or floaty and clunky , and the overall experience of playing , whether you had fun or found it dull and uninspiring .

In the early days of small development teams and even smaller budgets , game mechanics were the ‘ make or break ’ of whether a release was received well by the

press and public . There was little else to hide behind , and this is often the reason for games such as Super Mario Bros , Castlevania or Mega Man ageing so well .

" Mechanics used to make or break games "

As graphical fidelity increased , their mechanics remained a consistent example of solid game design . Most importantly they

simply remained fun to play .

In recent years , the line has become more and more blurred with the advent of smaller , independent developers having the time and space to innovate and put story and world building ahead of gameplay mechanics alone . The spectrum of genres has grown to be so wide and varied that there is now space for genres such as the divisive ‘ walking simulator ’, in which there is often very little gameplay involved other than

movement around the world , but an engaging narrative plot attempts to fill the space .

Criticisms centering around whether games such as Gone Home are actually games at all tend to focus on this mechanic involving mostly exploratory

successful games have often tried to hide behind superior graphics to mask the less than adequate gameplay . Now that