--- key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-flashlight type: mechanic id: game-mechanics--gm-flashlight lang: en title: Flashlight summary: >- A portable directional light reveals part of a dark space. Turning the beam becomes a decision about where to look next. updatedAt: '2026-10-21' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-flashlight/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-flashlight.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-flashlight.md aliases: [] tags: - Game design techniques - Immersion - Lights - Atmosphere sourceIds: - source-4c5777f151eb0c21 - source-a81993c251695ad9 - source-c10c54b0d6b803c8 - source-b06a46d3c170aef2 - source-51db20ed82fe2a2f - source-28c3f32c67c4c3f6 - source-0a031a39aeeef0d8 sources: - id: source-4c5777f151eb0c21 title: 'Game Mechanics: Flashlight' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight' verifiedAt: null - id: source-a81993c251695ad9 title: 'Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (2001)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/alone-in-the-dark-the-new-nightmare verifiedAt: null - id: source-c10c54b0d6b803c8 title: Half-Life 2 (2004) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/half-life-2' verifiedAt: null - id: source-b06a46d3c170aef2 title: Doom 3 (2004) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/doom-3' verifiedAt: null - id: source-51db20ed82fe2a2f title: 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/stalker-shadow-of-chernobyl verifiedAt: null - id: source-28c3f32c67c4c3f6 title: The Last of Us (2013) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/the-last-of-us' verifiedAt: null - id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8 title: Deep Rock Galactic url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: game-mechanics id: gm-flashlight title: Game design techniques url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-flashlight' categoryIds: - gm-category-immersion - gm-category-lights - gm-category-atmosphere supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-21' title: Flashlight description: >- A portable directional light reveals part of a dark space. Turning the beam becomes a decision about where to look next. image: src: images/mechanics/drg-zipline.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: Deep Rock Galactic sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/548430/ss_3fff97072bf18e192b0bc99f59209d357c62d624.1920x1080.jpg?t=1792497307 credit: Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing rights: © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved. caption: Headlamps illuminate the cavern alt: >- Deep Rock Galactic: dwarves on a zipline cast directional cones of light from their headlamps into a dark cavern. markers: - x: 48 'y': 37 label: A cone of portable light - x: 77 'y': 26 label: Darkness outside the beam tips: - Keep the route minimally readable outside the beam. - Check glare and contrast when the light faces a nearby surface. examples: - title: Deep Rock Galactic url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/' 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 --- # Flashlight id: game-mechanics--gm-flashlight type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-flashlight lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-flashlight/ A portable directional light reveals part of a dark space. Turning the beam becomes a decision about where to look next. ## At a glance ![Deep Rock Galactic: dwarves on a zipline cast directional cones of light from their headlamps into a dark cavern.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/drg-zipline.webp) [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) · © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved. 1. A cone of portable light 2. Darkness outside the beam - Keep the route minimally readable outside the beam. - Check glare and contrast when the light faces a nearby surface. - [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) ## How it works A carried directional light reveals part of a dark space. ## Variants ### How the technique works - A carried directional light reveals part of a dark space. ## Context and limits 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. ## Connected materials ## Sources and 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. - [Game Mechanics: Flashlight](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight) (id: source-4c5777f151eb0c21) - [Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (2001)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/alone-in-the-dark-the-new-nightmare) (id: source-a81993c251695ad9) - [Half-Life 2 (2004)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/half-life-2) (id: source-c10c54b0d6b803c8) - [Doom 3 (2004)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/doom-3) (id: source-b06a46d3c170aef2) - [S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/stalker-shadow-of-chernobyl) (id: source-51db20ed82fe2a2f) - [The Last of Us (2013)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/flashlight/game/the-last-of-us) (id: source-28c3f32c67c4c3f6) - [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) (id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors