{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"lens/schell-028","type":"lens","id":"schell-028","lang":"en","title":"The State Machine","summary":"Describe the system's valid states and transitions.","updatedAt":"2026-10-10","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/lens/schell-028/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lens/schell-028.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lens/schell-028.md","aliases":["The State Machine","28"],"tags":["Rules and systems"],"sourceIds":["source-a5287443699910bb","source-f546a7168effffbb"],"sources":[{"id":"source-a5287443699910bb","title":"Schell: 113 second-edition lenses","url":"https://schellgames.com/art-of-game-design","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-f546a7168effffbb","title":"The State Machine","url":"https://deck.artofgamedesign.com/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"Principle","body":"Describe the system's valid states and transitions."},{"id":"checks","title":"Review questions","body":"- Which transitions can the player trigger, and under what conditions?\n- Is there a state that cannot be exited in the expected way?"},{"id":"attribution","title":"Attribution and limits","body":"Jesse Schell · Schell: 113 second-edition lenses\n\nThe concise explanations and review questions are original gamemechanics.pro wording. This is an independent reference, not a translation of the cards or a substitute for the book. Names, concepts and external material remain their authors’ work."}],"relations":[{"type":"reviews","direction":"incoming","label":"Apply this lens","key":"lesson/npc-perception","title":"NPC perception and target memory","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/npc-perception/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/npc-perception.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/npc-perception.md"},{"type":"reviews","direction":"incoming","label":"Apply this lens","key":"path/npc-behavior","title":"NPC behavior","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/learn/npc-behavior/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/path/npc-behavior.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/path/npc-behavior.md"}],"placements":[{"title":"In the original collection","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lenses/#schell-028"}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"number":"28","theme":"rules","author":"Jesse Schell","originalTitle":"The State Machine","referenceUrl":"https://deck.artofgamedesign.com/"},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial explanations and review questions based on the user-selected Schell notes and attributed primary references. External concepts and source material retain their rights.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors"}}