---
key: mechanic/education--family-31
type: mechanic
id: education--family-31
lang: en
title: 'Diagnosis, correction and debugging'
summary: >-
  The learner finds a mismatch between expected and actual behavior, identifies
  its cause and tests a correction.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-31/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-31.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-31.md
aliases:
  - Diagnosis and debugging
tags:
  - Educational games
  - 'Action, construction and control'
sourceIds:
  - source-6666e9557756f7e1
sources:
  - id: source-6666e9557756f7e1
    title: Opus Magnum
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: education
    id: family-31
    title: Educational games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/education/#family-31'
    categoryIds:
      - action
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Diagnosis and debugging
    description: >-
      The learner finds a mismatch between expected and actual behavior,
      identifies its cause and tests a correction.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/adventure-opus-magnum-01.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: Opus Magnum
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/558990/ss_e395f88a023ad623f64a622d343eee17e1e6ea9d.1920x1080.jpg?t=1774910584
      credit: Zachtronics
      rights: >-
        Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed
        Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: Timeline commands control the mechanisms
      alt: Timeline commands control the mechanisms
      markers:
        - x: 31
          'y': 84
          label: Command order on the timeline
        - x: 56
          'y': 46
          label: Mechanism executes the programmed actions
    tips:
      - Keep the failed attempt available for comparison after a fix.
    examples:
      - title: Opus Magnum
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the
  original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated
  2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire
  classification or its effectiveness.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/education
---
# Diagnosis, correction and debugging

id: education--family-31
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/education--family-31
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-31/

The learner finds a mismatch between expected and actual behavior, identifies its cause and tests a correction.

## At a glance

![Timeline commands control the mechanisms](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/adventure-opus-magnum-01.webp)

[Opus Magnum](https://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. Command order on the timeline
2. Mechanism executes the programmed actions

- Keep the failed attempt available for comparison after a fix.

- [Opus Magnum](https://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/)

## How it works

Find sequence errors

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-31-branch-1"></a>

- Find sequence errors <a id="family-31-variant-1"></a>
- Find calculation errors <a id="family-31-variant-2"></a>
- Find faulty parts <a id="family-31-variant-3"></a>
- Find incorrect connections <a id="family-31-variant-4"></a>
- Compare expected and actual <a id="family-31-variant-5"></a>
- Localize faults through checks <a id="family-31-variant-6"></a>
- Make minimal corrections <a id="family-31-variant-7"></a>
- Test fixes <a id="family-31-variant-8"></a>
- Check edge cases <a id="family-31-variant-9"></a>
- Choose revealing tests <a id="family-31-variant-10"></a>
- Explain failure causes <a id="family-31-variant-11"></a>
- Restore damaged systems <a id="family-31-variant-12"></a>

## Design example

Find the command preventing a robot from reaching its goal.

## Context and limits

A mechanic map for games with explicit learning goals, from first encounters with a topic to professional practice. It covers children, teenagers and adults; choose subject, difficulty, context and controls for the learner. Player actions, subject content, instructional support and assessment are distinct layers. Scores and game completion alone do not establish mastery or skill transfer.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire classification or its effectiveness.

- [Opus Magnum](https://store.steampowered.com/app/558990/) (id: source-6666e9557756f7e1)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors