Games MDA

The first thing I done as part of this weeks reading task was watched the following video. In it, they talk about Game MDA and what exactly it is. 

It stands for:

  • Mechanics -The mechanics are the rules of the game and any movement the player may take - this includes running, walking, jumping etc.
  • Dynamics - In the video a quote is used which was said by Mark LeBlanc he said; "Dynamics are the emergent behaviour that from gameplay. When the mechanics are put into use" 
  • Aesthetics - This is the emotional response that a game has on a player.
It is a tool that is used in game design that analyses games to show the connection between the 3 categories above. So basically the different mechanics combined make the games dynamics which then form the aesthetics. It is used by game designers to improve their games. 

Next up was the paper MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research by Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc and Robert Zubek.  

They also go into detail about Game MDA and these are some of the main things I took from the article.

When describing games they wanted to use words other than "fun" and "gameplay" and came up with the following 8 headings when describing aesthetics:
  1. Sensation
  2. Fantasy 
  3. Narrative
  4. Challenge 
  5. Fellowship 
  6. Discovery 
  7. Expression 
  8. Submission
Image Information: MDA Framework

This diagram was used by Robin, Marc and Robert to explain the difference between designers and players and how they approach the MDA spectrum from opposite ends. The game designers first thing to work on is the mechanics before they can get anywhere near aesthetics, were as the players jump straight into the aesthetics. 

I also found this video on YouTube, in it they talk about the paper by Robin, Marc and Robert and break it down in an animation. 






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