{"id":72,"date":"2020-03-29T20:01:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-29T20:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/chapter\/important-foundations\/"},"modified":"2023-06-07T17:37:59","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T17:37:59","slug":"important-foundations","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/chapter\/important-foundations\/","title":{"raw":"Important Foundations","rendered":"Important Foundations"},"content":{"raw":"
\n\nEverything is easier when there\u2019s a template or foundation to work upon. The same goes for game design. As we\u2019ve seen in other chapters of this text, designing a game is hard work that requires insight into many areas. The MDA theory, which can be found\u00a0here<\/a>, gives us a good foundation in order to work on games. MDA stands for mechanics, dynamic, and aesthetics. Breaking down games in this way makes it easier to build and analyze them. The reason it\u2019s easier is due to the fact that this method attacks designing a game from both the player and designer side.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fSo\u00a0what do I mean by mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics? Mechanics are the rules of the system that make the game work; dynamics are the complex outcomes one gets from the system rules interacting with the player; and aesthetics are how the player experiences the game (whether or not a game is considered fun). Each of these pieces are interconnected. This is something that game designers need to heavily consider when working on a game. The way the player experiences the game is affected by the dynamics of the game and the dynamics of the game are affected by the base system rules. Designers need to create a specific experience for the player (aesthetics) by working from the opposite end (mechanics).\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fIn order to understand how a\u00a0game\u00a0you design works, you need to understand it from every level. MDA is a way to help understand how these are all connected. It\u2019s a way to try and overcome not knowing how the player will experience your game. Remember when I said\u00a0designers work from the mechanic side to achieve the aesthetic? That makes game design extremely tricky because we don\u2019t know how the player will experience the game. That\u2019s why\u00a0play-testing\u00a0is such an important part of game design. That\u2019s why MDA is so important.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fHow do you use MDA? Is it just a matter of understanding what it is? Yes and no. Understanding what MDA\u00a0is can\u00a0be helpful, but it\u2019s not the end all for game design. We can use MDA as a tool. Each part of MDA can be used as a lens to look at a game through. For example, if we look at a game through a mechanic lens, we\u2019re going to see a very different game than if we looked at it through an aesthetic lens. Designers need to consider all of these lenses from both the player and designer end.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fWhat do these lenses mean? Aesthetics, as mentioned before, is how the player experiences the game. Is the game fun? How do we know the game is fun? In order to answer this, we stop using the word \u201cfun\u201d and use more descriptive words that help us break down the term \u201caesthetics.\u201d Aesthetics can mean sensation (sense-pleasure), fantasy\u00a0(make-believe), narrative\u00a0(drama, story), challenges\u00a0(obstacles), fellowship (social\u00a0interaction), discovery\u00a0(uncharted territory, exploring), expression\u00a0(self-discovery), or submission\u00a0(a\u00a0way to pass the time). A game is \u201cfun\u201d if it has one, or a combination of these things. Most games have a combination of them.\u00a0For example, Final Fantasy has fantasy, narrative (story, drama, etc.), expression (self-discovery with the characters and perhaps the player), discovery (the player explores a vast world that is unknown at the beginning), challenge (there are many obstacles such as monsters), and submission (the game can be played just to pass the time. It also has \u201cmindless\u201d\u00a0mini games\u00a0within the\u00a0larger\u00a0games).\u00a0In order for the player to enjoy the game, it\u2019s also important that it has a clear win condition.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fDynamics are how the rules interact with the player. Dynamics will heavily determine the player\u2019s\u00a0experience,\u00a0therefore you want the dynamics to be as concrete as possible. Keep in mind, there will always be unforeseen dynamics. One of the ways you can understand the dynamics is feedback systems. They can tell us where to change something in a game\u2019s design. For example, in the board game\u00a0Monopoly\u00a0you have a feedback system that repeats like this:\u00a0Role\u00a0the dice, land on your own property or someone else's, pay money or get money (win\/ lose), roll the dice again. Looking at the game as a feedback system shows us how easy it is for a poor\u00a0Monopoly\u00a0player to stay poor.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fMechanics are the rules and systems that make a game work. Mechanics will create dynamics when interacting with a player. For example, in a card game you might have the mechanics of shuffling, trick-taking, and betting. This will create the dynamic of bluffing. Adjusting mechanics will inevitably change the game dynamics. This is a big reason why play testing and fine tuning a game are so important.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fAs we can see, changing one small aspect of a game\u2019s design can change the entire game. This is why MDA is so important and useful. By looking through each lens we can see, in depth, what are decisions for the game can do. Structured, formal guides aren\u2019t needed for everything, but it certainly helps for game design.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n \n\n<\/div>","rendered":"
\n

Everything is easier when there\u2019s a template or foundation to work upon. The same goes for game design. As we\u2019ve seen in other chapters of this text, designing a game is hard work that requires insight into many areas. The MDA theory, which can be found\u00a0here<\/a>, gives us a good foundation in order to work on games. MDA stands for mechanics, dynamic, and aesthetics. Breaking down games in this way makes it easier to build and analyze them. The reason it\u2019s easier is due to the fact that this method attacks designing a game from both the player and designer side.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fSo\u00a0what do I mean by mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics? Mechanics are the rules of the system that make the game work; dynamics are the complex outcomes one gets from the system rules interacting with the player; and aesthetics are how the player experiences the game (whether or not a game is considered fun). Each of these pieces are interconnected. This is something that game designers need to heavily consider when working on a game. The way the player experiences the game is affected by the dynamics of the game and the dynamics of the game are affected by the base system rules. Designers need to create a specific experience for the player (aesthetics) by working from the opposite end (mechanics).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fIn order to understand how a\u00a0game\u00a0you design works, you need to understand it from every level. MDA is a way to help understand how these are all connected. It\u2019s a way to try and overcome not knowing how the player will experience your game. Remember when I said\u00a0designers work from the mechanic side to achieve the aesthetic? That makes game design extremely tricky because we don\u2019t know how the player will experience the game. That\u2019s why\u00a0play-testing\u00a0is such an important part of game design. That\u2019s why MDA is so important.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fHow do you use MDA? Is it just a matter of understanding what it is? Yes and no. Understanding what MDA\u00a0is can\u00a0be helpful, but it\u2019s not the end all for game design. We can use MDA as a tool. Each part of MDA can be used as a lens to look at a game through. For example, if we look at a game through a mechanic lens, we\u2019re going to see a very different game than if we looked at it through an aesthetic lens. Designers need to consider all of these lenses from both the player and designer end.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fWhat do these lenses mean? Aesthetics, as mentioned before, is how the player experiences the game. Is the game fun? How do we know the game is fun? In order to answer this, we stop using the word \u201cfun\u201d and use more descriptive words that help us break down the term \u201caesthetics.\u201d Aesthetics can mean sensation (sense-pleasure), fantasy\u00a0(make-believe), narrative\u00a0(drama, story), challenges\u00a0(obstacles), fellowship (social\u00a0interaction), discovery\u00a0(uncharted territory, exploring), expression\u00a0(self-discovery), or submission\u00a0(a\u00a0way to pass the time). A game is \u201cfun\u201d if it has one, or a combination of these things. Most games have a combination of them.\u00a0For example, Final Fantasy has fantasy, narrative (story, drama, etc.), expression (self-discovery with the characters and perhaps the player), discovery (the player explores a vast world that is unknown at the beginning), challenge (there are many obstacles such as monsters), and submission (the game can be played just to pass the time. It also has \u201cmindless\u201d\u00a0mini games\u00a0within the\u00a0larger\u00a0games).\u00a0In order for the player to enjoy the game, it\u2019s also important that it has a clear win condition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fDynamics are how the rules interact with the player. Dynamics will heavily determine the player\u2019s\u00a0experience,\u00a0therefore you want the dynamics to be as concrete as possible. Keep in mind, there will always be unforeseen dynamics. One of the ways you can understand the dynamics is feedback systems. They can tell us where to change something in a game\u2019s design. For example, in the board game\u00a0Monopoly\u00a0you have a feedback system that repeats like this:\u00a0Role\u00a0the dice, land on your own property or someone else’s, pay money or get money (win\/ lose), roll the dice again. Looking at the game as a feedback system shows us how easy it is for a poor\u00a0Monopoly\u00a0player to stay poor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fMechanics are the rules and systems that make a game work. Mechanics will create dynamics when interacting with a player. For example, in a card game you might have the mechanics of shuffling, trick-taking, and betting. This will create the dynamic of bluffing. Adjusting mechanics will inevitably change the game dynamics. This is a big reason why play testing and fine tuning a game are so important.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fAs we can see, changing one small aspect of a game\u2019s design can change the entire game. This is why MDA is so important and useful. By looking through each lens we can see, in depth, what are decisions for the game can do. Structured, formal guides aren\u2019t needed for everything, but it certainly helps for game design.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

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