1. Mechanics, Dynamics
and Aesthetics
How games are built.

2. Most games are made out
of 3 different elements.
Not just monsters, blood, and guns, though
those are great.

3. The rules or ‘verbs’ of the game.
Jumping / Collecting / Lighting fires
DYNAMICS
How players use those rules.
Spawn Camping / Plotting/ Lighting every game object on fire
MECHANICS
How the game makes the player feel.
Zen / Challenged / Like a pyromaniac uber God
AESTHETICS

4. Players experience the
game Aesthetics first.
“There’s just fire everywhere!”

5. Designers create games
with the Mechanics first.
“The longer you hold the trigger, the bigger
the flame!”

6. Can you think of games
that fit these Aesthetic
Goals?
NARRATIVE
CHALLENGE
FELLOWSHIP
SENSATION
FANTASY
DISCOVERY
EXPRESSION
SUBMISSION

7. Putting it all together
You want your players to feel challenged in a
first person shooter, so you give them
enemies, give them weapons and let them
respawn when they die. Sniping, tanking,
and camping are all examples of game
Dynamics that come up in this scenario.

8. Charades
Tic Tac Toe
Age of Empires

10. MDAs of Portal 2!

11. MDAs of Journey!

12. Based off of the MDA
framework developed by
Robin Hunicke, Marc
LeBlanc, Robert Zubek
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf