Making and Breaking Games: A Typology of Rules

Järvinen's "Making and Breaking Games: A Typology of Rules" proposes a conceptual framework for analyzing games by treating them as state machines, in which rules define the possible states of play, the transitions between them, and the conduct permitted to players. Its central thesis is that rules, rather than themes or other surface features, form the fundamental structure of games. To support this, the work distinguishes rules from theme through the example of Chess played with Star Wars characters, where the theme sits on a separate layer from the underlying ruleset. The framework organizes rules around five game elements: components, procedures, environments, themes, and interfaces. Components and procedures are identified as mandatory for any game, while environment, theme, and interface rules form optional layers built upon that core.

The typology distinguishes game-objects from player-objects and core components from marginal ones, observing that components acquire context-dependent value through their use. Procedures are the player-activating operations which, when combined with components and environments, produce mechanics. Digital games are shown to add a distinct interface layer that becomes part of the rules rather than merely a means of presentation. Analytically, the work argues that games differ according to how many rule layers they employ, and that the degree of openness to informal interpretation grows with each added layer. Examining how procedures become mechanics is presented as a way to reveal each game's characteristic emphasis, such as the differing tempo of rhythm games like Parappa the Rapper compared with resource-management games like Civilization or Poker.

The scope is conceptual rather than empirical, and the work offers no quantitative data or systematic survey of the industry. Its examples draw on a range of titles spanning traditional board and card games and digital entertainment, but it does not claim comprehensive coverage of any market or period. The authors acknowledge that a full analytical application of the typology lies beyond their present scope, positioning the framework as a practical tool for deconstructing and comparing individual games' rulesets.