- Accompanist (role)
- Ad libitum
- Agenda
- Aleatoricism
- Aspect
- Balance
- Bartle types
- BCG
- (Cognitive) flow
- Conductor (role)
- Constellation
- Constructor (role)
- Co-optionality
- Cue cards
- Dice
- Dimension
- Downbeat
- Downtime
- Elegant Game
- Emergence
- End Condition
- Event (musical event)
- Extended technique
- Facilitator
- Fighting
- Flow
- Found sound
- Gameplay flow
- Genre
- Heteronomous Music
- Horizon of intent
- Improvisation rite
- Insert game
- Inspire cards
- Instrument Preparation
- Judge (role)
- Karaoke
- King-making
- Learning curve
- Ludomusical dissonance
- Meaningful Choice
- Mechanic
- Music game
- Non-idiomatic music
- Notation Cards
- Open work
- Parameter
- Pervasive Game
- Player (role)
- Prompter (role)
- Psychographics
- Quarterbacking
- Rhythm cards
- Rhythm game
- Roles
- RPG
- Rule Cards
- Speedrun
- Stacking
- Trading
- Transition
- Upgrade
- Victory condition
- Xenochrony
- XP
- Yes, and...
"Experience points" — gathered during some games to gain upgrades.
Usage
Upgrade — Game mechanics of providing better possibilities to the player.
Mechanic — A subsystem of the game that regulates interaction with a game state.
RPG — Role-Playing Game, a game where the main focus is assuming the role of a fictional character.
XPs are a popular mechanic in RPGs (and computer versions of those, cRPGs). The name usually fits the narrative of the game where the player controls a character (or characters) that are developed during the course of the game. Most often there is a choice of upgrades for a player who is leveling up, so the mechanic influences the customization options.
You don't have to use stories to advantage from XP-like points in game design. In abstraction, they are just points that usually are:
- means toward a further target,
- impossible to be taken away from player,
- gained with both successes and failures.
These are the qualities with quite a positive spin (not punishing) and might soften the competitive edge of the game. If you spread rewards along such a point track, you tap into a classic design solution of many game genres. However, it's worth remembering that players focused on rivalry may make it a race by speedrunning towards a set amount of XP.
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