Example that just came up in a discord I'm in: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. I havent played this game but someone who had said the game's story of "Roxas hates his day job but tolerates it because afterwards he can hang out with his friends" is enhanced by the gameplay being "player hates the mission structure but they tolerate it because the story cutscenes are amazing"
Someone else said they doubt that was intentional, and I agree. But I asked the question of whether Death of the Author applies to game mechanics.
I say yes. But its something I hadnt considered before for sure.
In the Morrowind retrospectives, we actually have an example of the "undeath" of the author where they actively realised some mechanics weren't fun and actively kept them in because it fit the deep lore.
Which mechanics do you mean?
A number of internal playtesters found the interior of the daedric ruins disorienting and painful to play. So they made that the point of the daedric religions and the velothi path.
Neat! Can confirm they were painful disorienting. With reeeeally good loot occasionally.