{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"lens/schell-074","type":"lens","id":"schell-074","lang":"en","title":"The Obstacle","summary":"Create obstacles that make achieving a goal meaningful.","updatedAt":"2026-10-10","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/lens/schell-074/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lens/schell-074.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lens/schell-074.md","aliases":["The Obstacle","74"],"tags":["Interest and story"],"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 Obstacle","url":"https://deck.artofgamedesign.com/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"Principle","body":"Create obstacles that make achieving a goal meaningful."},{"id":"checks","title":"Review questions","body":"- Why does overcoming this obstacle matter to the player?\n- Does the challenge reveal the protagonist or merely delay progress?"},{"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":[],"placements":[{"title":"In the original collection","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lenses/#schell-074"}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"number":"74","theme":"story","author":"Jesse Schell","originalTitle":"The Obstacle","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"}}