Oyun Mekaniklerinde Aristotelesçi Varlık Bilimi: Hiyerarşik Bir Yapı

Year 2025, Volume: 16 Issue: 2, 309 - 332, 31.12.2025

Volkan Davut Mengi

https://doi.org/10.29228/sanat.67

Abstract

Bu çalışma; oyun mekaniği kavramının yalnızca işlevsel ya da deneyimsel bir unsur olarak değil, aynı zamanda oyun dünyası içinde ontolojik bir varlık olarak ele almayı amaçlamaktadır. Oyuncu eylemlerini ve oyunun bu eylemlere verdiği tepkileri tanımlayan mekanikler, dijital ve analog oyunların temel yapı taşlarıdır. Deneysel teknolojilerle geliştirilen oyunlarda da önemli bir rol üstlenirler. Ne var ki mevcut sınıflandırmalar çoğunlukla mekaniklerin ne yaptığına odaklanırken, onların varlık türü olarak ne olduklarını göz ardı etmektedir. Bu çalışma, Aristoteles’in ontolojik hiyerarşisinden esinle, oyun mekaniklerini fiziksel, toplumsal ve metafizik katmanlar çerçevesinde yeniden düşünmeyi önermektedir. Bir oyun mekaniği ne zaman fiziksel bir eylem olur, ne zaman toplumsal bir ilişkiye dönüşür ve hangi koşullarda sembolik ya da metafizik bir anlam kazanır? Bu sorularla yola çıkan araştırma, mekaniklerin yalnızca etkileşim döngülerini kuran yapılar değil, aynı zamanda anlam üretiminde ve oyun dünyasının felsefi mimarisinde etkin rol oynayan varlıklar olduğunu savunmaktadır. Oyun mekaniğinin yalnızca oynanışı şekillendiren bir unsur değil, anlam üretimi ve oyun dünyasının inşasında da yapısal bir rol oynadığı ileri sürülmektedir.

Keywords

Dijital Oyun Tasarımı , Görsel Tasarım , İletişim Tasarımı , Felsefe , Oyun Çalışmaları

Aristotelian Ontology in Game Mechanics: A Hierarchical Framework

Abstract

This study approaches game mechanics not merely as functional or experiential tools, but as ontological entities within constructed game worlds. Mechanics, which define player actions and how the game responds, are fundamental to both digital and analog game design, and play a significant role in experimental games using new technologies. While previous frameworks often classify mechanics based on function or player interaction, they frequently overlook the deeper question of what a mechanic is ontologically. Drawing on Aristotle’s ontological hierarchy, this research proposes a new way to understand game mechanics as existing across physical, social, and metaphysical layers. It asks: when does a mechanic act as a physical system, when does it become a form of social interaction, and under what conditions does it acquire symbolic or metaphysical significance? By exploring these questions, the study argues that game mechanics are not just tools for gameplay loops, but structures that contribute to meaning-making and the philosophical architecture of game worlds. Thus, the study calls for a more refined classification that considers the ontological function of mechanics in the internal logic and philosophical architecture of games.

Keywords

Digital Game Design , Visual Design , Communication Design , Philosophy , Game Studies

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