Games MDA

 

A picture of an old retro game (source)

I found the MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research paper by Hunicke, R. LeBlanc, M. & Zubek, R. (2004) very insightful on the different aspects of the gaming methodology. in the paper, they discussed the diverse components of the MDA framework. The MDA framework or Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics is the fundamentals of games and refers elements of a game structure. An example, the dynamics represents the data or algorithms in a game. the mechanics describe the behaviour of the mechanics based on the player's inputs and the aesthetics apples to the emotional response that the player undergoes during the interaction of the game.

The paper also included ways to accurately describe game aesthetics such as "1. Sensation Game as sense-pleasure 2. Fantasy Game as make-believe 3. Narrative Game as drama 4. Challenge Game as obstacle course 5. Fellowship Game as social framework 6. Discovery Game as uncharted territory 7. Expression Game as self-discovery 8. Submission Game as pastime". and more along the line of "Charades: Fellowship, Expression, Challenge. Quake: Challenge, Sensation, Competition, Fantasy. The Sims: Discovery, Fantasy, Expression, Narrative. Final Fantasy: Fantasy, Narrative, Expression, Discovery, Challenge, Submission". This was interesting as I never thought of describing games in this manner