game mda analysis template

title: Game MDA Analysis Template

The following is a template or guide to doing an MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics) analysis at the start of your game design process.

Game Selection: Briefly introduce the game(s) selected for analysis, including developer, release year, and a short synopsis. Explain why you’ve chosen these games for MDA analysis.
Purpose of Analysis: Outline the significance of understanding the relationship between mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics in game design, what you aim to learn from this analysis in relation to your own game. You’ll identify mechanics and dynamics and use them to build a library of potential mechanics and dynamics you can use for your game.

Emotional Responses: Identify the intended emotional responses and experiences (for example, using the MDA aesthetic categories like Competition, Fantasy, Expression, Fellowship, etc.).
Player Experience Goals: Analyse how the dynamics create the intended player experiences.
Sensory Elements: Examine how visual and audio elements support the intended aesthetics.
Player Engagement: Discuss how the aesthetics maintain player engagement and motivation.

Core Resources: Identify the main resources players must manage (health, energy, currency, etc.).
Resource Generation: Describe how resources are created or acquired.
Resource Consumption: Analyse how resources are spent or depleted.
Resource Economy: Examine the balance and flow of resources throughout gameplay.

Basic Actions: List and analyse the fundamental actions available to the player.
Action Constraints: Describe limitations on when and how actions can be performed.
Action Consequences: Detail the immediate and long-term effects of player actions.
Control Schemes: Examine how players execute actions through the game’s interface.

Core Rules: Identify and describe the fundamental rules that govern the game state and progression.
Victory/Failure Conditions: Define the conditions that lead to success or failure states.
Constraints: Examine the limitations and restrictions that shape gameplay possibilities.
State Changes: Describe how game states change based on rules.

Emergent Behaviours: Describe the patterns of play that emerge from player interaction with the mechanics.
Player Strategies: Analyse common strategies and approaches that players develop.
System Interactions: Examine how different game systems interact with each other during gameplay.
Runtime Behaviour: Discuss how the game’s behaviour changes during play based on player actions and system states.

Mechanics to Dynamics: Analyse how the base mechanics lead to specific dynamic behaviours.
Dynamics to Aesthetics: Examine how the dynamic behaviours create intended emotional responses.
Cohesion: Evaluate how well the three elements work together to create a unified experience.
Player Perspective: Consider how players experience these elements in reverse order (aesthetics first, then dynamics, then mechanics).

Potential Improvements: Suggest possible enhancements to the MDA implementation or identify conflicting mechanics.
Learning Points: Identify key takeaways for your own game design process.

Summary of Findings: Summarise the key insights from the MDA analysis.
Design Implications: Conclude with thoughts on how this analysis can inform your own game design decisions.

Sources: List all sources used in the analysis, including academic papers, developer interviews, and the original MDA framework paper*

*Hunicke, R., Leblanc, M., & Zubek, R. (2004). MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research (pp. 1–5). Northwestern University. https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf

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