Vocabulary
8 words for talking about how games actually come together — and fall apart
01
iteration
NOUN · A REPEATED CYCLE OF TESTING AND IMPROVING SOMETHING
often paired with: go through iteration, an early iteration, rapid iteration
Designers rarely get something right on the first try — they build a version, see how it feels, change it, and repeat. Ex: Each new iteration of the boss fight got a little less frustrating and a little more interesting.
EXAMPLE
"Each new iteration of the boss fight got a little less frustrating and a little more interesting."
02
playtesting
NOUN / GERUND · HAVING REAL PLAYERS TRY A GAME SO YOU CAN WATCH WHAT HAPPENS
often paired with: a round of playtesting, internal playtesting, playtesting feedback
You can debate a design choice in a meeting for hours, or you can just watch a stranger try to use it for ten minutes. Ex: Three weeks of playtesting told us more about the difficulty curve than three months of internal debate ever could.
EXAMPLE
"Three weeks of playtesting told us more about the difficulty curve than three months of internal debate ever could."
03
mechanic
NOUN · A CORE RULE OR SYSTEM THAT DEFINES HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED
often paired with: a core mechanic, a broken mechanic, a signature mechanic
It's the actual thing the player does over and over — jumping, aiming, crafting, sneaking — the building block everything else gets stacked on top of. Ex: The grappling-hook mechanic sounded great on paper, but it broke half the level geometry the moment players got their hands on it.
EXAMPLE
"The grappling-hook mechanic sounded great on paper, but it broke half the level geometry the moment players got their hands on it."
04
pacing
NOUN · THE RHYTHM OF A GAME — HOW IT SPEEDS UP, SLOWS DOWN, AND GIVES YOU ROOM TO BREATHE
often paired with: uneven pacing, the pacing drags, tight pacing
It's not about any single moment — it's about how those moments are spaced out, and whether the game knows when to slow down. Ex: Good pacing is invisible — you only really notice it when a game gets it wrong.
EXAMPLE
"Good pacing is invisible — you only really notice it when a game gets it wrong."
05
prototype
NOUN · A ROUGH, EARLY VERSION BUILT TO TEST WHETHER AN IDEA ACTUALLY WORKS
often paired with: a rough prototype, build a prototype, prototype stage
It's not meant to look good — it's meant to answer one question fast: is this idea actually fun, or does it just sound fun? Ex: The first prototype was held together with placeholder art and a bit of hope, but the core idea was already there.
EXAMPLE
"The first prototype was held together with placeholder art and a bit of hope, but the core idea was already there."
06
scope
NOUN · THE PLANNED SIZE AND RANGE OF A PROJECT — WHAT IT WILL AND WON'T INCLUDE
often paired with: cut from the scope, scope creep, the scope of the project
It's the line between "everything we'd love to make" and "everything we can actually finish" — and that line moves more often than anyone would like. Ex: Cutting two biomes from the scope was painful, but it's the reason the game actually shipped.
EXAMPLE
"Cutting two biomes from the scope was painful, but it's the reason the game actually shipped."
07
polish
NOUN · THE FINAL ROUND OF SMALL FIXES THAT MAKE SOMETHING FEEL FINISHED
often paired with: add polish, lacks polish, a polish pass
It's everything that happens after the game already "works" — the small touches that make the difference between functional and genuinely satisfying. Ex: Polish is the last ten percent of the work that somehow takes up ninety percent of the time.
EXAMPLE
"Polish is the last ten percent of the work that somehow takes up ninety percent of the time."
08
balancing
NOUN / GERUND · ADJUSTING NUMBERS AND RULES SO NOTHING IS TOO STRONG OR TOO WEAK
often paired with: a balancing pass, balancing patch, constantly balancing
It's the never-ending job of making sure no single strategy, weapon, or character quietly takes over the entire game. Ex: Balancing a competitive shooter never really ends — it just slows down enough to ship.
EXAMPLE
"Balancing a competitive shooter never really ends — it just slows down enough to ship."
Language Focus — The Passive Voice
From the cool precision of a design document to the shrug of "it got nerfed" — the passive shows up everywhere in how games get talked about
Why the passive voice matters here
The passive voice (be + past participle, or get + past participle in informal speech) lets you talk about an action without naming — or while de-emphasizing — who did it. That makes it the natural register for game design talk: design documents describe systems and rules, not the individual who happened to type them; forum posts complain about what "got nerfed" without needing to name a developer; and formal specs use modal passives ("must be approved") to state requirements as if they were simply facts about the world. Below are eight forms, moving from the most formal technical register to the loosest, most conversational one.
01
Simple present passive
FORM: AM/IS/ARE + PAST PARTICIPLE · USED FOR STATING HOW A SYSTEM WORKS, AS A GENERAL FACT
typical contexts: design documents, technical specs, rulebooks
This is the voice of a spec sheet — it describes a system as if it simply exists, independent of whoever built it. Ex: Damage values are calculated from a base stat plus a small random variance.
EXAMPLE
"Damage values are calculated from a base stat plus a small random variance."
02
Simple past passive
FORM: WAS/WERE + PAST PARTICIPLE · USED FOR REPORTING A COMPLETED DECISION OR EVENT
typical contexts: postmortems, retrospectives, dev diaries
Useful when the decision matters more than who made it — common when a studio is explaining what happened to a project, after the fact. Ex: The original ending was scrapped two months before launch.
EXAMPLE
"The original ending was scrapped two months before launch."
03
Modal passive
FORM: MODAL (MUST/SHOULD/CAN) + BE + PAST PARTICIPLE · USED FOR STATING RULES, REQUIREMENTS, OR PERMISSIONS
typical contexts: style guides, sign-off processes, certification requirements
This form states a requirement as if it were simply a property of the process — it sounds less like a personal demand and more like an immovable rule. Ex: Any change to core combat numbers must be approved by the systems lead before it reaches a build.
EXAMPLE
"Any change to core combat numbers must be approved by the systems lead before it reaches a build."
04
Present perfect passive
FORM: HAVE/HAS BEEN + PAST PARTICIPLE · USED FOR AN ACTION REPEATED OR CONTINUING UP TO NOW
typical contexts: status updates, progress notes, ongoing-issue trackers
This form signals that something has happened more than once, with effects that are still being felt — a useful way to express ongoing frustration without naming names. Ex: The tutorial has been rewritten four times, and it's still not quite right.
EXAMPLE
"The tutorial has been rewritten four times, and it's still not quite right."
05
Passive + by-phrase
FORM: BE + PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + AGENT · USED WHEN THE AGENT IS SURPRISING, IMPRESSIVE, OR WORTH NAMING
typical contexts: credits, dev-team spotlights, "did you know" trivia
Normally the passive hides the agent — but adding "by X" puts a spotlight on them, often for dramatic or admiring effect. Ex: The entire enemy-AI system was redesigned by a single programmer over one unusually quiet summer.
EXAMPLE
"The entire enemy-AI system was redesigned by a single programmer over one unusually quiet summer."
06
Get-passive (informal)
FORM: GET + PAST PARTICIPLE · USED IN CASUAL SPEECH, OFTEN FOR THINGS THAT FEEL SUDDEN, UNFAIR, OR ANNOYING
typical contexts: patch-note complaints, forum rants, voice chat
Swap "be" for "get" and the sentence instantly sounds more emotional and informal — this is the passive of patch notes and frustrated forum threads. Ex: The dash ability got nerfed so hard in the last patch that nobody even bothers unlocking it anymore.
EXAMPLE
"The dash ability got nerfed so hard in the last patch that nobody even bothers unlocking it anymore."
07
Passive infinitive ("is to be")
FORM: IS/ARE + TO BE + PAST PARTICIPLE · USED FOR FORMAL INSTRUCTIONS OR PLANNED FUTURE ACTIONS
typical contexts: internal memos, formal design specs, project charters
This is about as formal and impersonal as English instructions get — it reads like a rule written into a document rather than a request from a person. Ex: This value is to be adjusted only after a full balancing pass, not before.
EXAMPLE
"This value is to be adjusted only after a full balancing pass, not before."
08
It + passive reporting verb
FORM: IT IS + PAST PARTICIPLE (BELIEVED/SAID/REPORTED) + THAT-CLAUSE · USED FOR DISTANCING YOURSELF FROM A CLAIM
typical contexts: community speculation, journalism, cautious reporting
This structure lets you repeat a claim without committing to it personally — useful for community rumor, speculation, and careful reporting alike. Ex: It is widely believed that the game's difficulty spike was a deliberate choice, though the designers have never confirmed it.
EXAMPLE
"It is widely believed that the game's difficulty spike was a deliberate choice, though the designers have never confirmed it."
In Use
See the same passive forms shift register — from a studio postmortem, to a dev panel, to a forum thread at 2am
Studio Postmortem / Design NotesOn Iteration, Scope, and the Unseen Work of Making a Game
"In most professional studios, a mechanic is rarely designed once and shipped as-is. It is iterated on, playtested, and quietly reshaped dozens of times before a single player ever sees it. Early prototypes are deliberately kept rough, since polish at this stage is generally considered a waste of scarce time. What looks, from the outside, like one confident decision is usually just the visible tip of a much longer process — one in which most of the actual work is never seen by anyone outside the team."
Notice how often the passive shows up here without ever naming a person — "is iterated on," "are deliberately kept," "is never seen." That's not an accident: this register exists to describe a process, not to hand out credit or blame for it.
Dev RoundtablePanel — "What Nobody Tells You About Shipping a Game"
"Honestly, scope is the thing nobody wants to talk about until it's already too late. On our last project, two entire systems were quietly cut about eight months in, and the whole back half of the schedule was rebuilt around whatever was left. And balancing gets treated like a pure math problem, but it really isn't — a number can be completely correct on a spreadsheet and still feel awful to actually play against."
This speaker drifts between registers — "were quietly cut" and "was rebuilt" sound almost like a postmortem, but "gets treated" slides into the more conversational get-passive right as the tone turns a little more frustrated.
Thread — Finally, the Grapple Got Fixed
"ok so the grapple mechanic finally got reworked and??? it's actually fun now. like genuinely fun, not 'fun if you squint and ignore the bugs' fun. apparently it was rebuilt almost completely from scratch by like two people on the team. wild that something this small took THIS many patches to get right but hey, we got there in the end i guess"
Compare "got reworked" here with "is iterated on" in the first passage — same basic idea (something changed), completely different feel. "Get" passives carry an emotional charge that the cooler "be" passives are built to avoid.
Register & Stance
How the passive shifts shape across contexts — from the cool authority of a spec to the heat of a forum complaint
| Context | Typical Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Design document / spec Formal, written, rule-stating |
Highly formal | "Damage values are calculated from a base stat plus a small random variance." |
| Studio postmortem Reflective, written account |
Highly formal | "The original ending was scrapped two months before launch." |
| Internal memo / style guide Formal instructions, sign-off rules |
Highly formal | "Any change to core combat numbers must be approved by the systems lead." |
| Status update / dev diary Semi-formal, ongoing progress |
Semi-formal | "The tutorial has been rewritten four times, and it's still not quite right." |
| Forum post / patch-note rant Informal, emotionally charged |
Informal / emotional | "The dash ability got nerfed so hard in the last patch." |
The passive isn't about hiding the truth — it's about choosing what the sentence is really about. "Damage values are calculated…" puts the system in the spotlight, which is exactly where a spec wants your attention to land.
Swapping "be" for "get" instantly shifts the mood. "The ability was adjusted in the last patch" sounds neutral, almost clinical; "The ability got adjusted in the last patch" feels a little more personal — maybe even a little annoyed. Same event, different emotional temperature.
Don't let the passive collapse into a wall of vague responsibility. "Mistakes were made" is the textbook example of a passive that hides exactly the information the listener actually wants — who, and why. Reach for the by-phrase when the agent genuinely matters to your point.
Watch out for stacked modals and tangled passives — "this is going to be being adjusted by whoever ends up being assigned to it" buries the actual point under its own grammar. One clear passive form, chosen on purpose, beats three piled on top of each other.
Forum Corner
Read a dev-blog post about a long patch cycle and click words from the bank to fill in the gaps
Word bank
scope
prototype
mechanic
playtesting
pacing
balancing
iteration
polish
Why This Patch Took Six Months
When we started this patch, the click to fill was honestly a lot bigger than what you're playing right now. We had a whole new traversal system planned, but after the first rough click to fill, it was obvious the core click to fill just wasn't fun yet — it needed a lot more work before it could carry an entire patch.
So we spent most of the six months on click to fill. Every two weeks, a fresh group of players sat down with the build, and every two weeks we learned something we hadn't expected — usually about click to fill. A fight that felt perfectly tense to us dragged on forever for someone seeing it for the first time.
The last few weeks were just click to fill — going line by line through every number until nothing felt overpowered or useless. Then came one final round of click to fill on the small stuff: footstep sounds, hit reactions, menu transitions. That's click to fill, and it's always the part that takes longer than anyone expects.
Analysis Tasks
Identify, transform, and evaluate — three exercises in the passive voice
Analysis Task 1
Match the Passive Form to What It Does
Click a sentence on the left, then find the description on the right that matches what its passive form is actually doing.
0 / 6 matched
Passive sentences
"Damage values are calculated from a base stat plus a small random variance."
"The original ending was scrapped two months before launch."
"Any change to core combat numbers must be approved by the systems lead."
"The tutorial has been rewritten four times, and it's still not quite right."
"The dash ability got nerfed so hard in the last patch."
"It is widely believed that the difficulty spike was a deliberate choice."
What it's doing
Signals something has happened more than once, with effects still felt right now
States how a system works, as if it were simply a fact about the world
Repeats a claim while keeping a careful distance from it personally
Reports a finished decision without naming who actually made the call
Makes the change sound sudden, unfair, or worth complaining about
States a requirement as though it were simply a rule of the process
Analysis Task 2
Turn It Into the Passive
Each sentence below names the agent directly. Pick the matching passive verb phrase from the bank, then click the blank to shift the spotlight onto the system instead.
Passive-form bank
are calculated
was scrapped
must be approved
has been rewritten
got nerfed
Active: "The team calculates damage values from a base stat plus a small random variance."
Damage values
click to fill
from a base stat plus a small random variance.
Active: "The studio scrapped the original ending two months before launch."
The original ending
click to fill
two months before launch.
Active: "The systems lead must approve any change to core combat numbers."
Any change to core combat numbers
click to fill
by the systems lead before it reaches a build.
Active: "The team has rewritten the tutorial four times."
The tutorial
click to fill
four times, and it's still not quite right.
Active: "They nerfed the dash ability so hard in the last patch."
The dash ability
click to fill
so hard in the last patch that nobody even bothers unlocking it anymore.
Analysis Task 3
Evaluate the Passive
Is the passive voice in each sentence used well, or does it contain a problem? Consider redundancy, register clashes, and whether the agent should actually be named.
"The boss fight was iterated on and was improved by the team that did the iterating."
"It is widely believed that the difficulty spike was a deliberate choice, though the designers have never confirmed it."
"This value is to be adjusted by whoever feels like it, whenever they want."
"The dash ability got nerfed pretty hard last patch — half the playerbase is still annoyed about it."
"The entire combat system was redesigned, was rebalanced, and was polished by basically everyone on the team, by all accounts, more or less."
🗣 Further Discussion
1
Design documents lean heavily on the passive — "damage is calculated," "this value is to be adjusted." Does writing this way actually make a system feel more objective, or does it just hide the human decisions sitting behind it?2
On forums, players say things like "it got nerfed" or "it got cut" without ever naming the person who made that call. Why do you think people talk this way — and is it fair to the people who actually did the work?3
"This value is to be adjusted only after a full balancing pass" and "they nerfed it again, smh" can describe the exact same event. What does choosing one phrasing over the other tell you about the speaker's relationship to what happened?4
"It is widely believed that…" lets you repeat a claim without ever saying you believe it. Is that a useful kind of honesty about your own uncertainty — or a way of avoiding responsibility for an opinion?5
Think of a recent change to a game you play — a patch, an update, something removed or reworked. Describe it twice: once the way a design document might (a formal "be" passive), and once the way you'd actually vent about it to a friend (an informal "got" passive). What changes besides the grammar?