MDA

This note last modified September 1, 2024

mechanics: what a player can do in a game
dynamics: what strategies and higher level actions those mechanics allow
aesthetics: the feelings that are created by dynamics.

An example: DOOM (2016) has a mechanic by which the player can get ammo and health by aggressively killing an enemy. This creates the dynamic where low health players are incentivized to be aggressive instead of hiding in fear, which finally creates the aesthetic of tension (“will I kill the enemy and get health before they kill me?”) and the aesthetic of nonstop aggression (I’m an unstoppable killing machine, even when I’m hurt, I just KILL HARDER)

Designers often implement mechanics (which of course, lead to dynamics and aesthetics). Instead, designers should think about the aesthetics they want to create, then think about what dynamics would support that aesthetic, and which mechanics would support that dynamic.

Game Design Research-Lankoski Chapter 4 has some interesting discussion about the limitations of MDA

problems with design frameworks
- MDA is a pretty decent framework and can often be applied as a sort of lens, keeping it simple.
interconnected MDA
- MDA
how to design reflective games
- One way is to foster specific aesthetics around certain topics. For example, the game LAYOFF is about, well, layoffs. The mechanics are like bejeweled, except instead of swapping jewels around, you swap employees — employees with backstories and names and faces. When you “clear out” some employees, they fall sadly into an unemployment office. These mechanics foster aesthetics of dehumanization and optimization, getting players to reflect on the dehumanization and optimization inherent in the corporate world.
- One way is to foster specific aesthetics around certain topics. For example, the game LAYOFF is about, well, layoffs. The mechanics are like bejeweled, except instead of swapping jewels around, you swap employees — employees with backstories and names and faces. When you “clear out” some employees, they fall sadly into an unemployment office. These mechanics foster aesthetics of dehumanization and optimization, getting players to reflect on the dehumanization and optimization inherent in the corporate world.
game analysis frameworks
- MDA
Intrinsic Skill Atoms For Gameful Design
- MDA
Game Design Research-Lankoski
- MDA
Game Design Frameworks-Oshea
- MDA
Activity Theory Serious Games Analysis-Carvalho
- Related work is the MDA framework and HABS frameworks