Challenge Players To Master Timing[]
Mastering timing is a clean model for creating engaging gameplay. Challenging players to master anything in your game encourages them to enter Csikszentmihalyi's model of Flow, which represents one of Seligman's 5 components of happiness (Engagement). In other words, a tantalizing invitation and pathway to master timing makes your players happy.
"The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions."
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
Bastion[]
In Bastion, the designers introduced the 'Power Shot' - a timing-based damage boost to your attack. With the Breaker's Bow, you must hold 'A' to draw your bow, and release 'A' to fire. Without considering the timing, this shot will deal some baseline damage. However, releasing 'A' after holding for the proper amount of timing and NOT longer will bestow your shots with this extra damage. To encourage players to use this mechanic, the designers made enemy health just high enough that a single, un-powered shot would hurt the enemy but not destroy it. Power shots WOULD kill these same enemies, making a well-timed Power Shot quite valuable. Hitting this just right is harder than it looks, especially in stressful situations when swarms of enemies surround you. This challenge to master the timing of a Power Shot and the benefits of success represent a solid example of this good snack.
Examples[]
Gears of War[]
Gears of War using timing by having active reloading. When players reload their gun in the game, a little meter comes up and if the player hits the reload button button at the right time, the gun will reload much faster than if the player reloaded normally. But if the player misses the active reload, the gun reload takes much longer than it would if the player hadn't done the active reload at all. This timing lets the player interact with the usually more passive action of reloading.
Guild Wars 2[]
Timing based adventures in GW2.
Guild Wars 2 has a mini-game cum feature called "Adventures" which allows players to earn mastery points, but in order to do so they have to finish a certain activity or complete the mini-game in a set amount of time, hence master the timing in order to win the challenge.
Flappy Bird[]
Flappy bird exploits the timing mechanic to the core. It is completely based on when you tap the screen so that you make your character cross the next set of pipes. If you misjudge your tap by a fraction of a second, you end up losing. The score is based on how many pipes you cross.