Mechanics, Dynamics and AestheticsHow games are built.

Most games are made out of 3 different elements.Not just monsters, blood, and guns, though those are great.

The rules or ‘verbs’ of the game. Jumping / Collecting / Lighting fires

DYNAMICSHow players use those rules. Spawn Camping / Plotting/ Lighting every game object on fire

MECHANICS

How the game makes the player feel.Zen / Challenged / Like a pyromaniac uber God

AESTHETICS

Players experience the game Aesthetics first.“There’s just fire everywhere!”

Designers create games with the Mechanics first.“The longer you hold the trigger, the bigger the flame!”

Can you think of games that fit these Aesthetic Goals?NARRATIVECHALLENGEFELLOWSHIP

SENSATION FANTASY

DISCOVERYEXPRESSIONSUBMISSION

Putting it all togetherYou want your players to feel challenged in a first person shooter, so you give them enemies, give them weapons and let them respawn when they die. Sniping, tanking, and camping are all examples of game Dynamics that come up in this scenario.

Charades

Tic Tac Toe

Age of Empires

MDAs of Portal 2!

MDAs of Journey!

Based off of the MDA framework developed by

Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek

http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf