Definition
Gameplay in Wardley's framework refers to context-dependent strategic options available to an organization based on its specific position on the map. Wardley documented 61 specific forms of gameplay in a 2015 blog post, organized into 12 categories, with practitioners identifying additional options over time. Unlike doctrine (which is universal), gameplay requires understanding the landscape and climate before it can be applied effectively.
The Gameplay Concept
Wardley uses "gameplay" rather than "strategy" to emphasize that strategic moves are contextual choices, not universal principles. A move that is brilliant in one landscape position may be disastrous in another. The map provides the context needed to evaluate which gameplay options are appropriate.
Categories of Gameplay
Wardley organizes his 61 documented gameplay forms into 12 categories:
Gameplays are rarely used in isolation; successful strategies combine multiple plays. (Source: Wardley, "On 61 Different Forms of Gameplay," blog.gardeviance.org, 2015)
Relationship to Other Concepts
Gameplay is the "Leadership" element of the Strategy Cycle and is the element most analogous to Boyd's "Decide" and "Act" phases of the OODA loop. However, Wardley emphasizes that effective gameplay requires having first understood Purpose, Landscape, Climate, and Doctrine. Gameplay without situational awareness is guessing.
The ILC Model
Wardley describes a pattern of strategic competition — ILC (Innovate, Leverage, Commoditize). A company innovates at the genesis stage, leverages the custom/product stage for revenue, and then commoditizes to create a platform effect. Amazon Web Services is the canonical example: Amazon commoditized computing infrastructure through ILC, then leveraged the ecosystem that built on top of it. Understanding ILC as a gameplay pattern requires mapping to identify which components are ripe for commoditization.