M.D.A. What does M.D.A stand for? M.D.A or Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics, a framework developed during the "Game Developers Conference" San Jose 2001-2004, for the purpose of creating a bridge between game design and game development, criticism and research. It was created so that game designers, coders, artists, researchers could work together on the same grounds.
Games are created by designers and teams of developers to be used by players. The difference between games and other entertainment products is in the way the game will be perceived by the audience. Those who produce the games have only the vaguest idea on how their finished product's consumption is unpredictable. The string of events that take place during the game-play and the outcome of that is unknown until the product is completely finished. The game can change it's state, purpose or design anywhere on the line of production, the outcome never being sure, until the game is out on the shelf.
The M.D.A framework brings a formal approach to games design by breaking games into their basic, distinct components : Rules > System > Fun and establishing their design correspondents : Mechanics > Dynamics > Aesthetics. And now we're back where we started from. What is M.D.A?
Well taking them one by one :
- Mechanics : The component of the game that describes the rules of the game. The algorithms, the code, the data, the parameters on which the game runs. This is the only part of the game framework of which the game designer is in control. He is the one that decides what rules the game should have and how it should run.
- Dynamics : The component of the game that shows what happens when the player interacts with the game. It also shows the interaction of the rules with each other and the choices that have to be made based on the rules of the game.
- Aesthetics : The component of the game that shows the players reactions to the game play. It's the emotional interaction when playing games.
So this is M.D.A. Now what should we do with them?
As LeBlanc had it "Each component of the M.D.A framework can be thought of as a lens or a view of the game - separate, but casually linked" (LeBlanc, 2004)
The M.D.A can be viewed from two points of view : The designers and The players.
The designer sees the game as a series of mechanics that gives rise to a dynamic system, which in turn leads to aesthetics which are specific to every player.
The player sees the game as an aesthetic experience which has been born of dynamics observed throughout the game-play, dynamics which derive from operable mechanics.
When working with games as a whole it's important to view the game as a whole, from both perspectives: that of the players and that of the designers; because one change in any of the components can change the whole game. Also it's best to take consideration the player the game is made for, because it inspires experience driven design, as opposed to feature driven design .
In his paper, LeBlanc started discussing M.D.A from the player's point of view, with Aesthetics.
Aesthetics in a game is all about "fun". What is fun and enjoyable for a player. But fun is such a relative and personal term that it's very difficult to use in a proper discussion about designing a game. So he points us to a more direct vocabulary, using a taxonomy as an example :
- Sensation : Games as a sense-pleasure
- Fantasy: Game as make-believe
- Narrative : Game as drama
- Challenge : Game as obstacle course
- Fellowship: Games as social framework
- Discovery : Games as uncharted territory
- Expression : Games as self-discovery
- Submission : Games as pass-time
(this reminds me of the taxonomy he wrote that was included in Costikyan's article... )
Each game pursues multiple types of aesthetic experiences but usually tends to put one above the other and making it the one a game revolves around. Taking for example multi-player games are mainly revolving around Fellowship, even if they have Fantasy, Discovery, Challenge & Submission as adjacent aesthetic experiences. Each game has it's own unique pattern of aesthetic experiences, not two of them alike, even if they have the same ones, they are still in different quantities.
Following this taxonomy, we can assess different Aesthetic Models. These different types of models can help one asses the types of game-play dynamics and mechanics. Aesthetic Models are used to observe player experience and observations, to see what is fun for them and this way realise what makes a game more or less interesting.
Dynamics work to create Aesthetic experiences. Challenges can be created by adding time challenges and enemies. Fellowships can be encouraged by introducing social interaction across certain members of a session or supplying a series of objectives that are achievable by team-work and cooperation.
Expression comes from dynamics that encourage the individual user to leave his or her mark upon the game like systems made for buying, earning or designing game related items and dramatic tension comes from dynamics that encourage a state of tension, a release and a denouement.
As we talked about the Aesthetics of a game, the Dynamics also need to be put together into models. This way, by developing models that describe and predict game-play dynamics, some common game designing problems could be avoided. Some of the models used in assessing dynamics are the dice throw and the calculation of probabilities of certain roles, positive and negative feedback loops, fog of war or pseudo-feedback.
Using this dynamic models, games can be re-iterated, making the game more or less interesting, more or less fun.
Mechanics are defined by the various actions, behaviours and control mechanism given to the player withing a game context. The mechanics are the overall support of the game dynamics. Adjusting the mechanics of a game helps us fine-tune the game's overall dynamics. Tuning the basic rules of a game can help bring players back in the game, can shorten or lengthen a game session, and otherwise hinder progress or raise competition.
Following the M.D.A structure, game design seems to take on a more logical path of evolution, having a clear start and a clear finish and hopefully a better product at the end.
Expression comes from dynamics that encourage the individual user to leave his or her mark upon the game like systems made for buying, earning or designing game related items and dramatic tension comes from dynamics that encourage a state of tension, a release and a denouement.
As we talked about the Aesthetics of a game, the Dynamics also need to be put together into models. This way, by developing models that describe and predict game-play dynamics, some common game designing problems could be avoided. Some of the models used in assessing dynamics are the dice throw and the calculation of probabilities of certain roles, positive and negative feedback loops, fog of war or pseudo-feedback.Using this dynamic models, games can be re-iterated, making the game more or less interesting, more or less fun.
Mechanics are defined by the various actions, behaviours and control mechanism given to the player withing a game context. The mechanics are the overall support of the game dynamics. Adjusting the mechanics of a game helps us fine-tune the game's overall dynamics. Tuning the basic rules of a game can help bring players back in the game, can shorten or lengthen a game session, and otherwise hinder progress or raise competition.
Following the M.D.A structure, game design seems to take on a more logical path of evolution, having a clear start and a clear finish and hopefully a better product at the end.
"Play is to be played exactly because it isn't serious; it frees us from seriousness."
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