one dataset · paper, tables, graph, wiki
simgrammar the grammar of simulation

parts

4 mechanics, as Surgeon Simulator does them

core · 2

control & automation

Embodied skill control

The mouse moves the hand, holding the right button rotates it, the left button lowers it, and A, W, E, R, and Space each close one finger, so grasping a scalpel is itself the challenge.

physics & materials

Rigid-body physics

Instruments, organs, and bones are physics objects that collide, slip, and fall, so most mistakes are physical accidents rather than authored failure states.

supporting · 2

biology & health

Injury body model

Damage to the patient drives a small vital-sign model; when heart rate reaches 0 the player must charge the defibrillators.

progression & goals

Scenario objectives

Procedures such as heart and kidney transplants are replayed in an operating room, a bouncing ambulance, and zero gravity.

core loop

pick a procedure -> move the hand and press finger keys to grab tools -> cut, break, and remove body parts -> place the new organ -> keep Bob alive -> score and time

design notes

Made in 48 hours at the 2013 Global Game Jam, the game turns control difficulty into the content: the mouse moves the hand, a mouse button rotates or lowers it, and A, W, E, R, and Space close individual fingers, a scheme modeled on Jurassic Park: Trespasser. Tools and organs are rigid bodies, so most outcomes come from collisions and dropped objects rather than authored surgical steps. Medicine is a comic frame with a thin vital-sign model; a heart rate at zero requires charging the defibrillators. Included as a boundary case for embodied control.

appears in

the paper, 2 sections · 1 chapter
paper

5. The structure of the design space

linked in this section of the paper

paper
paper

Appendix A. Game catalog

linked in this section of the paper

paper
catalog

The catalog

listed with its year, developer, subgenre, and number of mechanics

book
ch 4

Chapter 4. Families

linked from the text

book

sources

2
Wikipedia contributors (2026). Surgeon Simulator. Wikipedia

provenance

runs in log/runs
2026-10-24
created2026-10-24-catalog-gfcatalog