---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Drains A drain is a mechanic that…"
description: "\"“Drains A drain is a mechanic that determines the consumption of resources—that is, a rule specifying how resources permanently drop out of the game (n..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/ernest-adams-16190_drain_drains-a-drain-is-a-mechanic-that-determ_197262.jpg"
---

#  Drains A drain is a mechanic that determines the…

![“Drains A drain is a mechanic that determines the consumption of resources—that is, a rule specifying how resources permanently drop out of the game (not to be confused with a converter, which we’ll look at next). In a shooter game, the player firing his weapon drains ammunition—that’s what makes…” quote by Ernest Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/ernest-adams-16190_drain_drains-a-drain-is-a-mechanic-that-determ_197262.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/ernest-adams-16190_drain_drains-a-drain-is-a-mechanic-that-determ_197262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/ernest-adams-16190_drain_drains-a-drain-is-a-mechanic-that-determ_197262.jpg)

> ““Drains A drain is a mechanic that determines the consumption of resources—that is, a rule specifying how resources permanently drop out of the game (not to be confused with a converter, which we’ll look at next). In a shooter game, the player firing his weapon drains ammunition—that’s what makes ammunition, a resource, disappear. Being””

[Ernest Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-adams/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A drain is a game mechanic that permanently removes resources, like ammo when firing a weapon, distinguishing it from converters that transform resources.

**In simple terms:** Drains permanently reduce resources in games.

Key Takeaway

Design resource loss deliberately.

Themes

game design resource management mechanics

Mood

analytical strategic

Type

educational technical

When to use this quote

- shooters
- strategy games
- resource planning

Key Concepts

systems balance player agency

Questions to Reflect On

- How does resource loss affect player tension?
- When should a drain be introduced?

A Different Perspective

Drains can frustrate players if not balanced with rewarding mechanics.

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## Related quotes

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> [In bed that night I invented a special drain that would be underneath every pillow in New York, and would connect to the reservoir.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/in-bed-that-night-i-invented-a-special-drain-that-would-be-underneath/)

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> [The most wasteful "brain drain" in America today is the drain in the kitchen sink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gould-davis/the-most-wasteful-brain-drain-in-america-today-is-the-drain-in-the/)

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> [He himself will go into the drain and take his boy in his own lap. He will clean his dress, clean his clothes, clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabhat-ranjan-sarkar/he-himself-will-go-into-the-drain-and-take-his-boy-in-his-own-lap-he/)

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> [Activity without purpose is the drain of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/activity-without-purpose-is-the-drain-of-your-life/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [If Christ were only a cistern we might soon exhaust his fullness but who can drain a fountain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-christ-were-only-a-cistern-we-might-soon-exhaust-his-fullness-but/)

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> [Any time we have projects that we haven't begun or completed, they drain energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/any-time-we-have-projects-that-we-haven-t-begun-or-completed-they/)

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## More by Ernest Adams

> [“You should also make fresh supplies available to him immediately after he surmounts a challenge that costs him a lot of resources, as Chapter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-adams/you-should-also-make-fresh-supplies-available-to-him-immediately/)

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> [“A game concept is a description of a game detailed enough to begin discussing it as a potential commercial product—a piece of software that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-adams/a-game-concept-is-a-description-of-a-game-detailed-enough-to-begin/)

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> [“If the available power grows at exactly the same rate as the absolute difficulty goes up, the relative difficulty will be a flat line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-adams/if-the-available-power-grows-at-exactly-the-same-rate-as-the-absolute/)

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[Ernest Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-adams/)

> [“People love to design and create things, whether clothing, creatures, buildings, cities, or planets. They also love to customize a basic template of some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-adams/people-love-to-design-and-create-things-whether-clothing-creatures/)

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[Explore all 40 Ernest Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-adams/)

## More Drain quotes

> [“Coercing attitude drains your strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/coercing-attitude-drains-your-strength/)

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> [You need to shelter yourself from the abrasive forces of life that drain you and keep you in a lower state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-need-to-shelter-yourself-from-the-abrasive-forces-of-life-that/)

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> [“drain off some spinal fluid (huge”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-mooney/drain-off-some-spinal-fluid-huge/)

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> [“Complaints drain joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/complaints-drain-joy/)

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> [The trouble with going with the flow is, you might wind up getting sucked down the drain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-trouble-with-going-with-the-flow-is-you-might-wind-up-getting/)

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> [It is ironic that we are particular about flushing out all the dirt through the Drain,but we continue to retain a lot of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/it-is-ironic-that-we-are-particular-about-flushing-out-all-the-dirt/)

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> [Start washin' all our worries down the drain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/start-washin-all-our-worries-down-the-drain/)

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> [“If there's black tar in that well, you won't find fresh flowers when you drain it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-m-rk/if-there-s-black-tar-in-that-well-you-won-t-find-fresh-flowers-when/)

Christian Mørk

> [I'm always having a good day and then once I get home that all goes down the drain...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-always-having-a-good-day-and-then-once-i-get-home-that-all-goes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is an appalling thing to feel all one possesses drain away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/it-is-an-appalling-thing-to-feel-all-one-possesses-drain-away/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [“Things speed up as you circle the drain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/things-speed-up-as-you-circle-the-drain/)

[Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/)

Browse all 66 Drain quotes

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