game design Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...

the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework is a tool used to analyze games. It formalizes the properties of games by breaking them down into three components:

Mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objects ...

, Dynamics and

Aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, Epistemology, knowledge, Ethics, values, Philosophy of ...

. These three words have been used informally for many years to describe various aspects of games, but the MDA framework provides precise definitions for these terms and seeks to explain how they relate to each other and influence the player's experience.

Overview

*Mechanics are the base components of the game — its rules, every basic action the player can take in the game, the

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

s and data structures in the

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term " software engine" used in the softwar ...

etc. *Dynamics are the run-time behavior of the mechanics acting on player input and "cooperating" with other mechanics. *Aesthetics are the emotional responses evoked in the player. There are many types of aesthetics, including but not limited to the following eight stated by Hunicke,

LeBlanc Le Blanc is a commune in the Indre department of France. Le Blanc (French, 'the White'), LeBlanc or Leblanc may also refer to: Places *Arrondissement of Le Blanc, France * Le Blanc-Mesnil, Paris, France * LeBlanc, Louisiana, in Iberville Parish, ...

and Zubek: # Sensation (''Game as sense-pleasure''): Player enjoys memorable audio-visual effects. # Fantasy (''Game as make-believe''): Imaginary world. # Narrative (''Game as drama''): A story that drives the player to keep coming back # Challenge (''Game as obstacle course''): Urge to master something. Boosts a game's replayability. # Fellowship (''Game as social framework''): A community where the player is an active part of it. Almost exclusive for multiplayer games. # Discovery (''Game as uncharted territory''): Urge to explore game world. # Expression (''Game as self-discovery''): Own creativity. For example, creating a playable character resembling player's own appearance. # Submission (''Game as pastime''): Connection to the game, as a whole, despite constraints. The paper also mentions a ninth kind of fun competition. The paper seeks to better specify terms such as '

gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and pla ...

' and 'fun', and extend the vocabulary of game studies, suggesting a non-exhaustive

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

of eight different types of play. The framework uses these definitions to demonstrate the incentivising and disincentivising properties of different dynamics on the eight subcategories of game use. From the perspective of the designer, the mechanics generate dynamics which generate aesthetics. This relationship poses a challenge for the game designer as they are only able to influence the mechanics and only through them can be produced meaningful dynamics and aesthetics for the player. The perspective of the player is the other way around. They experience the game through the aesthetics, which the game dynamics provide, which emerged from the mechanics.

Criticism

Despite its popularity, the original MDA framework has been criticized for several potential weaknesses. The eight kinds of fun comprise a rather arbitrary list of emotional targets, which lack fundamentals and how more types of emotional responses can be explored. It also has been challenged for neglecting many design aspects of games while focusing too much on game mechanics, and therefore not suitable for all types of games, including particularly gamified content or any type of experience-oriented design.

References

External links

* * Gamasutra page: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TuckerAbbott/20101212/88611/MDA_Framework_Unconnected_Connectivity.php * 6-11 Framework: https://www.academia.edu/1571687/THE_6-11_FRAMEWORK_A_NEW_METHODOLOGY_FOR_GAME_ANALYSIS_AND_DESIGN Video game design Video game development {{videogaming-stub