1PGD

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👾 By Nalin Sharma · Video Mind Games Ltd.

1 PAGE GAME DESIGN CANVAS EXPLORER

Learn how 20 of the world's most successful mobile games are built — through the lens of the 1PGD Canvas.

🎮 Explore Games 📋 Learn the Canvas

1PGD Canvas — A unified lens for game design excellence

🌟 Aspiration Start → Objectives → Goals → Mission

👁️ Sensory Frame See · Control · Hear · Create

⚡ RSM Core Anticipation → Uncertainty → Action → Effect

❤️ Emotions Thrill · Wonder · Pride · Belonging

💥 Failure Retry friction · Failure legibility

📈 Improvement Skill ceiling · Growth trajectory

♾️ Longevity Content rhythm · Daily/Weekly/Monthly

🌱 Growth Ring Acquire · Retain · Refer · Viral

1 Page · 8 Elements · Endless Insights

Landmark Games Analysed

47B+

Combined Downloads

$58B+

Combined Revenue

Game Genres Covered

v1.0

Canvas Version

Featured Games

View all 20 →

How to Use the Explorer

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1. Pick a Game

Browse 20 landmark mobile games organised by genre. Search by name or filter by category.

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2. Explore the Canvas

See the full 1PGD Canvas for each game. Click any element to dive deeper into its design reasoning.

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3. Apply the Insights

Download the canvas PDF and apply what you've learned to your own game designs.

Key Design Patterns

Learn more →

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Select a game

Choose from the sidebar to explore its 1PGD Canvas

✦ Framework v1.0

THE 1PGD CANVAS

A unified lens for game design excellence — from core mechanic to sustainable growth.

↓ Download PDF 🎮 Try on a Game

🌱 The Growth Ring

The Growth Ring is the commercial outer layer of the canvas. It represents the lifecycle mechanics that determine whether your game survives in the market — how players find you, why they stay, and why they tell others.

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Acquire

How will they find your game? App store optimisation, social media, word of mouth, influencer partnerships.

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Attract

How do you pull them in? First impression, icon design, screenshots, the store listing experience.

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Retain

Why come back tomorrow? Daily rewards, streak mechanics, live events, content rhythm.

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Refer & Viral

Why tell a friend? Shareable moments, leaderboards, social comparison, gift mechanics.

🌟 Aspiration Row

The Aspiration Row defines the why of your game — the reasons to play at increasing time horizons. Each box must be visible to the player at the appropriate moment.

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Start

First 60 seconds. Why download and begin?

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Objectives

Minutes. Why keep playing this session?

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Goals

Hours / Days. Why come back tomorrow?

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Mission

Weeks / Months. Why become a master?

⚡ The RSM Core

The Repeatable Scalable Mechanic is the beating heart of every great game. It happens many times per session and enriches over time. At its centre is the AUAE Cycle — the neurological engine of engagement.

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The Dopamine Loop

Anticipation → Uncertainty → Action → Effect

The AUAE cycle maps directly onto the neurological dopamine reward loop. Anticipation triggers dopamine release (not just receipt — the brain rewards anticipation itself). Uncertainty amplifies the response (variable reward schedules are more potent than fixed ones). Action is the motor expression of the dopamine-driven urge. Effect delivers the reward signal, then immediately re-primes Anticipation. This is why the RSM is called Repeatable — the loop is biologically self-reinforcing.

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Anticipation

Map at three levels: Micro (0–3s), Meso (30–60s), Macro (session). Does the player always have something to look forward to?

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Uncertainty

Must feel fair. Good uncertainty feels like "I could have done better." Poor uncertainty feels like "That wasn't my fault."

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Action

Minimise inputs while maximising expression. Is the input set as small as possible while still being satisfying?

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Effect

Juice — screen shake, particles, sound pops. Does every action produce visible, audible, and felt feedback?

❤️ Emotions Box

The Emotions box is the purpose of the entire canvas. All other elements exist to serve it. Be specific — "fun" is not an emotion. Target 2–3 specific emotions with clarity.

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Thrill

Heart-rate response to near-misses

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Satisfaction

Clean resolution of tension

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Curiosity

Desire to explore or discover

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Pride

Achievement recognised by self or others

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Awe

Response to scale, beauty, or unexpected moments

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Belonging

Connection to a community or cause

⚙️ Mechanism Row

The Mechanism Row represents the how — the structural mechanics that make the Aspiration Row achievable over time.

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Failure

Retry friction — the time to re-enter play after failure. Near-zero is ideal. Failure legibility — the player must understand why they failed.

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Improvement

Skill Ceiling — the theoretical maximum performance possible. Should be aspirationally distant but visibly achievable.

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Longevity — Content Rhythm

Daily rewards (micro) · Weekly challenges (meso) · Monthly/seasonal updates (macro). Longevity requires a rhythm, not just variety.

🧠 Psychological Foundations

The 1PGD Canvas is grounded in three established psychological frameworks.

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Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci)

Three core psychological needs that produce intrinsic motivation

Autonomy

Feeling in control → Action quadrant

Competence

Feeling capable → Improvement + Failure boxes

Relatedness

Feeling connected → Social Layer + Refer

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Flow Theory (Csíkszentmihályi)

Total immersion when challenge and skill are in perfect balance

The RSM is fundamentally a flow engine. Too easy → boredom → player leaves. Too hard → anxiety → player leaves. Balanced → flow → player stays. The Scalable dimension of the RSM is the mechanism that maintains flow over time.

📋 How to Use the Canvas

↓ Download Canvas PDF 🎮 Try on a Game

ABOUT 1PGD

The canvas, the methodology, and the people behind it.

What is 1PGD?

The 1 Page Game Design (1PGD) Canvas is a framework for designing mobile games — or any experience with game-like qualities — on a single page. It was created by Nalin Sharma and first presented publicly in 2015.

The Canvas distils the key elements of a successful game into a visual one-page model. Starting from the Repeatable Scalable Mechanic (RSM) at the centre, it radiates outward through sensory design, player journey, emotional engagement, and commercial growth.

The Canvas v1.0 (2026 Update)

This Explorer presents Canvas v1.0 — an update incorporating a decade of mobile games evolution since the original 2015 deck. Eight targeted improvements were made:

Sensory Frame — Renamed from "Idea", with four explicit sub-zones (See, Control, Hear, Create)

Growth Ring — Promoted acquisition/retention to a dedicated outer layer

Monetisation — Added dedicated monetisation box next to Emotions

Ethics & Wellbeing — Added as counterweight to dark-pattern risks

The 20 Games

Games were selected to cover every major mobile genre, with diversity across publishers, eras, and revenue/download evidence. Combined they represent over 47 billion downloads and $58 billion in revenue.

Licence

The 1PGD Canvas and Explorer content is available under Creative Commons Attribution – No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0).

You are free to share the canvas and Explorer for any purpose, including commercial workshops, provided you give attribution and do not create derivative works.

Download the Canvas

Download the 1PGD Canvas as a PDF to use in your own workshops, pitches, and design sessions.

↓ Download Canvas PDF

Contact

Created by Nalin Sharma / Video Mind Games Ltd.