MDA Framework

Marc LeBlanc has proposed the MDA Framework as a formal approach to understanding games; MDA stands for Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics. The framework acknowledges that the game designer and game player have different perspectives of the game, with the game.

http://algorithmancy.8kindsoffun.com/

Rather than look at the model starting from the mechanics, the first stop for the game designer, we will explore the model from the point of view of the player, who cares less for the mechanics of the game (at least initially) and more for the aesthetics of the game.

Game Aesthetics

The game aesthetics are the desirable emotional responses evoked by the game dynamics; and it is important that as game designers we understand the emotional factors that make the game fun. To better understand what makes ‘fun’ fun, Marc describes (a non exhaustive list of) eight kinds of fun that occur in games.

1. Sensation, where the game is fun because the player is experiencing something new.

2. Fantasy, where the game is fun because the player is caught up in a make believe situation.

3. Narrative, where the game is fun because the player gets lost in the game’s story.

4. Challenge, where the game is fun because skill and trial and error is required in order to master it.

5. Fellowship, where the game is fun because the player is playing it with others and has a sense of community.

6. Discovery, where the game is fun because the player needs to explore the game and discover it’s secrets.

7. Expression, where the game is fun because the player is able to leave his/her mark on it and play it according to their preferences.

8. Submission, where the game is fun because the player can immerse themselves in it.

As game designers we can choose the types of fun that we want to occur in our game, and games can (and should) consist of multiple types of fun.

Having decided the type(s) of ‘fun’ that the game will focus on, we can investigate the game dynamics and game mechanics.

Game Dynamics

The game dynamics cover the process of the game that occurs in any given game session. The run-time behaviour of the game can be somewhat predicted when forming the game rules and objectives however the dynamics cannot fully understood until the game is play tested.

How did the rules create the fun?

What patterns emerged in the dynamics of the game?

Then lead to the question:

What other settings, genres, design patterns or subjects might fit this game?

Here we look at the game design patterns, the 400 rules and other theories of game design that may assist.

Game Mechanics

The game mechanics cover the rules and concepts that formally make the games. The objects and characters that make up the game; and their attributes and states. Also included in the mechanics of the game are the code that make up the game and the rules and objectives that comprise the game.

Of course, the most important rule is the primary objective of the game, followed by the individual rules and constraints of the various objects and parts of the game. How is the character controlled? Can it jump? How does it react with other characters and events?

What do the characters do?

What different states do the characters have?

What rules apply to the characters?

The MDA framework is useful for understanding what makes games fun and possibly more importantly may help as you design a game to consider the emotional response of your players.