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Video Game Design Foundations
converts it to an electrical signal, and
transmits the signal to an output. (8)
milestone: Critical point of achievement. (1)
minions: Minor characters, like soldiers;
can come in several ranks, strengths, and
abilities. (2)
mission: In a video game, a large assignment
the protagonist must complete in order to
reach the end of the game. (3)
mixing: Process of combining two or more
recorded sounds into a single sound. (8)
mockup: Physical representation of the
character or game element. (2)
mod: Alteration of the gameplay of an
existing game, typically done by players, not
the game studio; short for modification. (5)
modding: Act of creating a mod. (5)
model sheet: Sketch of different poses and
viewing angles for a single character. (2)
modules: Separate units of programming that
perform one function and contain all of the
information needed to execute that function. (12)
momentum: Quantity of motion, defined by
mass times velocity. (11)
mono: Having a single audio channel; short
for monophonic. (8)
monochromatic: Only one hue is used in the
image. (9)
mood: Emotional feeling of the setting. (3)
moral: Lesson to be learned. (3)
moral values: Rules that a character uses to
decide if something is good or evil. (2)
morphing: Change in the physical shape of
an object. (11)
motion: Change in position of an object over
time. (11)
motion capture (mocap): Technology that
records the movement of an actor and assigns
that movement to a virtual character. (11)
mount: Device used to hold and place a
microphone. (8)
movement sketch: Sketch of a few frames of
animation to show what movement for the
character looks like. (2)
moving holds: Characters should never be
static for a long time; instead, some slight
movement should be animated. (11)
multiplayer dialogue: In-game speech
between human players. (5)
multiuser domain (MUD) bot: Often used to
perform trivial tasks while the player is doing
other things. (5)
muscle memory: When a physical task has
been repeated enough that the task can be
completed without conscious effort. (4)
musical instrument digital interface (MIDI):
Used to connect musical instruments to a
computer using a cable connection. (8)
N
narration: Any spoken details or commentary
on the game. (5)
Nash equilibrium: Occurs in a game when
all players know the strategies of the others
and no single player can gain when only
his or her strategy is changed; named after
American mathematician John Nash. (7)
navigation map: Small map in the corner of
the game frame that displays relative locations
of obstacles, enemies, and objectives. (4)
negative space: Area or volume around or
between primary objects. (9)
nested victories: Smaller victories that lead to
the ultimate victory condition. (6)
network design: Level design that allows the
player to move freely without restriction from
any room to any other room in the game; also
called sandbox level design. (3)