What does MDA Stand for?
Mechanics:
Rules and systems that make your game work and make the player experience different things. It can be the math for calculating jumps and gravity.
Dynamics:
The actual experience the user plays that the mechanics create. The strategy of a shooter is made by mechanics but makes an experience of shooting enemies and getting to the finish.
Aesthetics:
The emotive experiences you want to play in a game. This could be expressive art, or great music inside of a game.
EIGHT TYPES OF AESTHETICS (Wikipedia):
- Sensation (Game as sense-pleasure): Player experiences something completely unfamiliar.
- Fantasy (Game as make-believe): Imaginary world.
- Narrative (Game as drama): A story that drives the player to keep coming back
- Challenge (Game as obstacle course): Urge to master something. Boosts a game’s replayability.
- Fellowship (Game as social framework): A community where the player is an active part of it. Almost exclusive for multiplayer games.
- Discovery (Game as uncharted territory): Urge to explore game world.
- Expression (Game as self-discovery): Own creativity. For example, creating character resembling player’s own avatar.
- Submission (Game as pastime): Connection to the game, as a whole, despite of constraints.