{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-exploding-heads","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-exploding-heads","lang":"en","title":"Exploding heads","summary":"A distinct effect depicts head destruction on impact.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-exploding-heads/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-exploding-heads.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-exploding-heads.md","aliases":["Head destruction effect"],"tags":["Game design techniques","Killing","Satisfying"],"sourceIds":["source-51eb8eb6e8ad6281","source-ef83c387427f7a1c","source-b856232ec95de5df"],"sources":[{"id":"source-51eb8eb6e8ad6281","title":"Game Mechanics: Exploding heads","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/exploding-heads","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-ef83c387427f7a1c","title":"Dead Rising 2 (2010)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/exploding-heads/game/dead-rising-2","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-b856232ec95de5df","title":"RoboCop: Rogue City (2023)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/exploding-heads/game/robocop-rogue-city","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"A distinct effect depicts head destruction on impact."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-exploding-heads-rule\"></a>\n\n- A distinct effect depicts head destruction on impact. <a id=\"gm-exploding-heads-definition\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"game-mechanics","id":"gm-exploding-heads","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-exploding-heads","categoryIds":["gm-category-killing","gm-category-satisfying"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Head destruction effect","description":"A distinct effect depicts head destruction on impact.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/impact-exploding-heads.webp","width":600,"height":332,"game":"RoboCop: Rogue City","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/exploding-heads","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/robocop_blow_up_head2.webm","sourceFrameSeconds":1.26,"credit":"Teyon / Nacon; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"A distinct head-destruction effect on a hit","alt":"RoboCop: Rogue City: A distinct head-destruction effect on a hit.","markers":[{"x":50,"y":48,"label":"Area of the model change and impact effect"}]},"tips":["Synchronize model changes, particles and animation with the gameplay hit."],"examples":[{"title":"RoboCop: Rogue City","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/exploding-heads"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/game-mechanics"}}