Rub - Games

In game design, 'rub' refers to the deliberate friction points that create meaningful challenge. It's the resistance in a puzzle's mechanics, the environmental obstacles requiring player adaptation, or the narrative tension forcing character growth. Unlike arbitrary difficulty, rub serves a purpose: teaching systems through failure, rewarding mastery, and making progression feel earned. Well-implemented rub transforms gameplay from passive consumption to active engagement, where overcoming friction becomes the core satisfaction. It's the grit in the oyster that eventually produces the pearl of player accomplishment.