tailieunhanh - MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research

The first of these stages is perceptual analysis, which is con- cerned with organization, grouping, symmetry analysis, complex- ity and other perceptual features that are known to influence aesthetic appreciation. In the second stage, the analysis of familiar- ity, prototypicality and meaning is performed, together with the implicit and automatic integration of information with pre-exist- ing memory structures. Processes involved in explicit classification are performed in the third phase, including those related with the style and the content of the stimulus. Thereafter, in the cognitive mastering stage, the stimulus is interpreted on art-specific and self-related grounds. Finally, the model provides two different out- puts: a cognitive state, product of the earlier. | MDA A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research Robin Hunicke Marc LeBlanc Robert Zubek hunicke@ marc_leblanc@ rob@ Abstract In this paper we present the MDA framework standing for Mechanics Dynamics and Aesthetics developed and taught as part of the Game Design and Tuning Workshop at the Game Developers Conference San Jose 2001-2004. MDA is a formal approach to understanding games - one which attempts to bridge the gap between game design and development game criticism and technical game research. We believe this methodology will clarify and strengthen the iterative processes of developers scholars and researchers alike making it easier for all parties to decompose study and design a broad class of game designs and game artifacts. Introduction All artifacts are created within some design methodology. Whether building a physical prototype architecting a software interface constructing an argument or implementing a series of controlled experiments - design methodologies guide the creative thought process and help ensure quality work. Specifically iterative qualitative and quantitative analyses support the designer in two important ways. They help her analyze the end result to refine implementation and analyze the implementation to refine the result. By approaching the task from both perspectives she can consider a wide range of possibilities and interdependencies. This is especially important when working with computer and video games where the interaction between coded subsystems creates complex dynamic and often unpredictable behavior. Designers and researchers must consider interdependencies carefully before implementing changes and scholars must recognize them before drawing conclusions about the nature of the experience generated. In this paper we present the MDA framework standing for Mechanics Dynamics and Aesthetics developed and taught as part of the Game Design and Tuning Workshop at the Game .