The big picture
MDA Framework
Think of a game as three layers: mechanics the designer sets, dynamics that emerge in play, and aesthetics the player feels.
Practitioner frameworkA thinking tool for design. Direct tests of its effect are limited.
Example
A "first 100 people" rule creates a rush to sign up, which players feel as urgency and excitement.
Why it works
Designers build from mechanics while players experience aesthetics first. Adding points or badges does not decide the feeling. Choose the feeling first, then work back to dynamics and rules.
On the web
When planning a campaign, write down how visitors should feel first. Then choose the behavior that creates that feeling, and only then the rules: points, deadlines, draws.
When it backfires
Starting from rules tends to produce bolted-on points and leaderboards. Check with behavior data and interviews that the intended feeling actually occurs.
Sources
Splits games into mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics, and notes that designers and players approach them from opposite ends.
Hunicke, R., LeBlanc, M., & Zubek, R. (2004). MDA: A formal approach to game design and game research. AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI. Open source
Connect with the classics
These links are editorial readings, not research findings. Check the original meaning on each classics page.
聲不過五，五聲之變，不可勝聽也。There are only five notes, yet their combinations are more than can ever be heard. Few mechanics, endless dynamics: the MDA view.
Sunzi · The Art of War Energy: organization and combinations →