MDA - Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics
Design methods
guide to the creative thought process and help to ensure good quality work.
"Designers
and researchers must consider interdependencies carefully before
implementing changes, and scholars must recognize them before drawing
conclusions about the nature of the experienced generated."
"MDA is a
formal approach to understand games."
"Systematic coherence
comes with conflicting constraints are satisfied and each of the game's parts
can relate to each other as a whole."
MDA is a tool to
bridge the gap between the different aspects of game creation and merge them
successfully into a working, high quality, flowing game.
Rules -> System
-> "Fun"
Mechanics ->
Dynamics -> Aesthetics
Mechanics -
describes the particular components of the game, at the level of data
representation and algorithms.
Dynamics -
describes the run-time behaviour of the mechanics acting on player inputs and
each other's outputs over time.
Aesthetics -
describes the desirable emotional responses evoked in the player, when she
interacts with the game system.
"Games are
systems that build behaviour
via interaction."
Designers and
players have different perspectives on games i.e. the consumer/player looks
firstly at the aesthetics and how it works then the, dynamics (how it works or
feels during play), then mechanics and specific components of what drives the game,
the code etc and the designers perspective is the opposite and
this is the order of importance for both.
------------------------------------->
Designer
M D A
Player
<-------------------------------------
Both perspectives
need to be acknowledged when creating games.
This shows how
small changes can have a "cascading" effects.
Aesthetics
Breakdown:
Game Taxonomy:
1. Sensation -
2. Fantasy
-
Game as sense of
pleasure
Game as make-believe
3. Narrative -
4. Challenge -
Games as drama
Game as obstacle course
5. Fellowship -
6. Discovery -
Game as
social Frame work
Games as uncharted territory
(Social
interaction)
7. Expression -
8. Submission -
Game as
self-discovery
Game as pastime
Every game
includes multiple different aesthetic goals.
"Supporting adversarial play
and clear feedback about who is winning are essential to competitive
games."
Dynamic models:
Fellowship
encouraged through ranging difficulties that a long player could not achieve.
"Expression
comes from dynamics that encourage individual users to leave their mark"
i.e. top of the leader board, most money etc.
"Dramatic
tension comes from dynamics that encourage a rising tension"
"Reality
isn't always fun."
Mechanics:
The control the
player has within a game. i.e. "Mechanics of card games include shuffling,
trick, taking and betting - from which dynamics like bluffing can emerge"
"Mechanics support
overall game plays dynamics."
Mechanics of
"shooters" are: Weapons, ammo, spawn points; which produce dynamics
such as camping or spawn killing.
Golf dynamics are:
Balls, clubs, sand traps and water hazards which make the dynamics of broken
clubs or drowned clubs.
EVERY ACTION HAS AN EQUAL
REACTION!!
Tuning:
Play testing -
beta, alpha testing etc.
Need to do testing
and add stages of iteration to increase the complexity, difficulty, challenge,
and overall appeal, depth, enjoyment and play ability of the game by
adding or taking parts out after each test stage.
Changing one
element has a domino effect of which can mean the other aspects need tweaking
or adjusting to improve the overall income.
Iterative testing:
Altering from test
results then repeating tests and reviewing each test until the problems from
the tests are solved and the testers, players and creators are happy with the
final end product.
Dan x
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