Reading: Games MDA

 This was a good week for the readings , I much prefer when there is a video along with the articles I feel that it allows me to understand the articles better.

MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research.  Hunicke, R. LeBlanc, M. & Zubek, R. (2004). [Links to an external site]

 The MDA framework , standing for Mechanics , Dynamics and Aesthetics, it is a formal approach to understanding game design.

"Each component of the MDA framework can be thought of as a lens or a view of the game - separate, but causally linked". [LeBlanc, 2004b].

The framework is very helpful way of understanding how games are designed and the process used to design them. For example in the article they demonstrate how important it is to consider both the player and designers perspectives, considering the player can actually lead to a more " experience-driven " game. The article goes through each model individually and gives a very detailed explanation of each which was also easy to understand. Before reading this article , I was still slightly confused on how much detail you need to put into the design of the game , and how to exactly do it but this article has helped greatly.

The video was also a great watch. Link here Explaining the MDA Design Framework | Video Game Design. I really enjoyed this video , it was a very simple break down of the MDA design framework , also the use of examples shown on the screen was a great benefit. Breaking down a game , to use it as inspiration for your project was a great idea which i shall use myself. Even the explanation of Monopoly mechanics was very helpful , it was an easy way to understand the dynamics in games and that there can be multiple mechanics and dynamics in a single game ."The 8 kinds of fun " again was a lot of help in thinking about my own game I plan on making.

Overall another great week of reading, looking forward to the following weeks articles. 

MDA framework image from article link here