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''Being in control over who can move within an area in the game world, or having access to actions linked to locations in the game world.''

Games with game worlds of some kind often make use of these worlds by making different parts of them have different value for gameplay. This makes it natural for players to try and have access and control to these. This [[Area Control]] may hinder other players from using the resources or other possibilities available there, or can simply be that one can oneself access them regardless if other players can do so also.

=== Examples ===
Having implicit [[Area Control]] over the center of the game board in [[Chess]] is one of the main strategies in the game. The goal of [[Go]] is to have efficient [[Area Control]] over as much of the board using as few stones as possible. Gameplay typically begins with claiming areas in the corners, which are most easy to defend, and then moving out along the sides to finally revolve around the center of the board. 

Having [[Area Control]] over the places where new weapons and power-ups appear is vital in multiplayer matches in [[:Category:FPS Games|First-Person Shooters]] such as the [[Quake series]] and [[Unreal Tournament series]].

[[Area Control]] can also be regulated through rules. For example, one of the goals in the [[Battlefield series]] is to have control over flag points. This is done by teams by having sole presences in the areas around the flags for a certain period of time. Other games, e.g. [[Risk]] and [[Greed Corp]] give players [[Area Control]] simply by entering locations (and [[Greed Corp]] lets this persist when units are moved out). [[Carolus Magnus]] and [[Imperial 2030]] let players have control over areas indirectly by controlling factions while [[Blood Bowl]] has rules making moving out of squares next to opponents risky due to the possibility of being tackled. The [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization]], [[Hearts of Iron series|Hearts of Iron]], and the [[Europa Universalis series]] differentiate between who has [[Area Control]] over a territory and how owns it.

[[Area Control]] can be shared between players. One example of this can be found in the [[Settlers of Catan]] where all players that have settlements bordering a hex can gain resources from it.

== Using the pattern ==
The design of [[Area Control]] in games consists of deciding how control can be achieved and what effects that control provides (which also touched upon why it is interesting to gain the control). Control can either be due to direct or indirect actions. Direct actions consist of reach areas with [[Focus Loci]] and often simple [[Contact]] with the areas determines control but the [[Contact]] may have to be an [[Extended Actions|Extended Action]] to give [[Perceivable Margins]] and let other players try to [[Overcome]] the first claimer. The use of [[Territories]] or [[Goal Points]] can help make [[Area Control]] actions direct since these provide clearly identifiable targets. In areas already under somebody else control, [[Combat]] is typically needed when [[Area Control]] is to be achieve by direct actions (conquering cities in the [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization]] is an example of this). Gaining [[Area Control]] by indirect actions is usually achieved by [[Negotiation]] or the use of [[Resources]] in [[Trading]] or [[Bidding]].

Regardless of what types of actions are needed to gain [[Area Control]], game systems can explicitly acknowledge [[Area Control]] through assigning [[Territories]]. The [[Hearts of Iron series|Hearts of Iron]] and the [[Europa Universalis series]] show how both direct and indirect actions can be used for [[Area Control]] while also making use of [[Area Control]] and [[Ownership]] of [[Territories]] as separate conditions. In these games new [[Territories]] are gained by first invading them (direct actions) and then receiving them as part of peace treaties (indirect actions). Players can only produce [[Units]] in their [[Territories]] which they have [[Area Control]] over - a player that has enemy [[Units]] in all his or her [[Territories]] cannot produce any [[Units]].

Related to how [[Area Control]] is achieved is the question of whether the rules makes this control permanent or not, i.e. if gains of [[Area Control]] are [[Irreversible Events]]. [[Settler of Catan]] lets [[Area Control]] persist until the end of the game since cities cannot be lost in this game (unless one is using the ''The Cities and Knights of Catan'' [[Expansion]]) while the [[Emergent Gameplay]] of [[Go]] can make areas unconquerable even if there are no explicit rules assigning permanent control. If the ownership of the area is not an [[Irreversible Events]], the possibility of future [[Transfer of Control]] events creates [[Guard]] goals of keeping the area. While areas' [[Location-Fixed Abilities]] and [[Resource Locations]] provide natural [[Rewards]] and [[Penalties]] for gaining and losing [[Area Control]] respectively, [[Guard]] goals can be encouraged by giving additional explicit [[Penalties]] and attacks can be encouraged by giving additional explicit [[Rewards]] (e.g. the money gained by conquering cities in [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization]]).

The common effects of [[Area Control]] is access to [[Location-Fixed Abilities]] (e.g. [[Controllers]]), [[Resource Locations]] in areas, providing good [[Line of Sight]] to other areas, and making opponents have [[Movement Limitations]] ([[Zone of Control]] extends this to nearby locations). Indirect, [[Area Control]] can help create [[Combos]] since players can position the game elements better.

Some areas naturally become focus points for [[Area Control]]. Examples of such areas include [[Choke Points]], [[Sniper Locations]], and [[Strongholds]]. The possibility to have [[Strategic Knowledge]] about such locations, e.g. because they are fixed features in maps which are reused, are likely to affect how players strive to have [[Area Control]].

=== Can Be Modulated By ===
[[Controllers]], 

=== Interface Aspects ===
[[Area Control]] is typically ''not'' shown in game interfaces unless it is formalized with [[Territories]]. 

== Consequences ==
Having [[Area Control]] is a form of [[Ownership]] that affects [[Game Worlds]]. When this [[Ownership]] can be contested, [[Area Control]] easily leads to [[Conflicts]] and [[Emotional Engrossment]]. It specifically affects places with [[Location-Fixed Abilities]] since they can provide players with [[Privileged Abilities]] (if they are scarce) and these [[Abilities]] can be [[Temporary Abilities]] if [[Ownership]] can change. If achieved [[Area Control]] cannot be contested, this creates [[Entrenching Gameplay]].

[[Area Control]] easily spawns different types of goals for players. Reaching the areas that one wishes to control creates [[Traverse]] goals, and when several players are trying to reach the same area this becomes [[Races]]. If the areas is already under somebody else control, wanting to take that area creates [[Overcome]] goals. [[Stealth]] can occur when an extended sole presence is required to control an area; this can be a successful tactic in multiplayer games such as [[Battlefield 2]]. In many cases trying to gain [[Area Control]] are [[Supporting Goals]] to other goals; this is maybe most explicit when [[Area Control]] can help create [[Combos]].

When many areas exist that can be controlled, knowing the values of each of these is a form of [[Strategic Knowledge]]. Choosing which of these to try and control is an example of having a [[Selectable Set of Goals]] which require players to do [[Risk/Reward]] choices or [[Tradeoffs]]. Maintaining [[Area Control]] is a [[Continuous Goals|Continuous Goal]] and [[Interferable Goals|Interferable Goal]] to [[Guard]] a location; maintaining control over several areas changes this to [[Reconnaissance]] goals or requires [[Attention Swapping]] - in games with [[Teams]] this can be reduced back to [[Guard]] goals if [[Cooperation]] works.

== Relations ==
=== Can Instantiate ===
[[Attention Swapping]], 
[[Conflicts]], 
[[Continuous Goals]], 
[[Emotional Engrossment]], 
[[Entrenching Gameplay]], 
[[Gain Ownership]], 
[[Guard]], 
[[Interferable Goals]], 
[[Movement Limitations]], 
[[Overcome]], 
[[Ownership]], 
[[Races]], 
[[Reconnaissance]], 
[[Risk/Reward]], 
[[Selectable Set of Goals]], 
[[Stealth]], 
[[Strategic Knowledge]], 
[[Supporting Goals]], 
[[Tradeoffs]], 
[[Transfer of Control]], 
[[Traverse]]

==== with [[Extended Actions]] ====
[[Perceivable Margins]] 

==== with [[Goal Points]] or [[Territories]] ====
[[Gain Ownership]]

==== with [[Location-Fixed Abilities]] ====
[[Privileged Abilities]], 
[[Temporary Abilities]]

==== with [[Teams]] ====
[[Cooperation]]

=== Can Modulate ===
[[Combos]], 
[[Game Worlds]], 
[[Location-Fixed Abilities]], 
[[Resource Locations]]

=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
[[Bidding]], 
[[Contact]], 
[[Controllers]], 
[[Negotiation]], 
[[Sniper Locations]], 
[[Strongholds]], 
[[Trading]]

=== Can Be Modulated By ===
[[Combat]], 
[[Controllers]], 
[[Extended Actions]], 
[[Focus Loci]], 
[[Goal Points]], 
[[Irreversible Events]], 
[[Penalties]], 
[[Rewards]], 
[[Strategic Knowledge]], 
[[Territories]], 
[[Zone of Control]] 

=== Possible Closure Effects ===
-

=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
-

== History ==
An updated version of the pattern ''Area Control'' that was part of the original collection in the book ''Patterns in Game Design''<ref name="Bjork & Holopainen 2004"/>.

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Bjork & Holopainen 2004">Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) ''Patterns in Game Design''. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.</ref>
</references>

== Acknowledgements ==
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