Games MDA

 

(Source: Pikist)

For this post, I read "MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research" by Hunicke, R. LeBlanc, M. and Zubek, R. and "Design, Dynamics & Experience (DDE) for Game design" by Wolfgang Walk, Daniel Gorlich and Mark Bennet. I also watched a video about the MDA approach.

From this readings and videos, I now understand the MDA approach. MDA stands from mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics. It is widely accepted a core of making games. Mechanics are the rules, codes etc. while dynamics use the mechanics to create an experience. The aesthetics effect the way the game looks and feels to the player. It is important to know your target audience and to create the game based on what they like.

The MDA approach also has a few drawbacks as stated in the second article. It focuses on the mechanics too much and therefore, it's not suitable for every game. I agree because there are other elements that need to be taught about such as the story and the pace of the game.