The MDA Model

Here's a MDA model definition from handy Wikipedia ~

"In game design the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework is a tool used to analyze games. It formalizes the consumption of games by breaking them down into three components: Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics. These three words have been used informally for many years to describe various aspects of games, but the MDA framework provides precise definitions for these terms and seeks to explain how they relate to each other and influence the player's experience.

• Mechanics are the base components of the game - its rules, every basic action the player can take in the game, the algorithms and data structures in the game engine etc.

• Dynamics are the run-time behavior of the mechanics acting on player input and "cooperating" with other mechanics.

• Aesthetics are the emotional responses evoked in the player"

For my example analysis, I chose to do my MDA analysis of the game, The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild.

In the Legend of Zelda franchise, players must embark on their journey as Link to rescue Princess Zelda from the antagonist, Ganon. This game is an open-world adventure game and I feel is represented by the adventure (because Link goes on a journey to save Zelda) and process-oriented (because of different systems involving in-game time, weapon durability, health, and stamina).

The mechanics of the game are that you have hearts for health, and if you run out of hearts you start over from your most recent save. You also have a stamina bar and if that runs out you fall until the next platform so that you can rest and restore your stamina. Weapons also have durability and if they run out, then they break. There also is a day and night cycle that affects the types of enemies that spawn in the game along with the environment being a factor.

The dynamics of the game are that you are incorporating these mechanics into your adventure as Link to rescue Zelda. You journey across the map to find towers and shrines to unlock more of the map so that you can earn more hearts, stamina, and weapons to work your way towards beating the final boss, Ganon. Because it is an open-world game, the player can accomplish things in any order they want as well as accomplish as much or as least of the game as they desire.

The aesthetics of the game make for an overall adventure into the wild of Hyrule that is catered player to player. What originally starts as fighting mobkins (the game’s equivalent to slimes) builds its way to beating more complicated boss fights atop mountains and forests, into eventually beating Ganon in the heart of Hyrule. The game is different for every player, making a more lasting impression on the player with this amount of freedom.

Through the MDA model, Breath of the Wild allows players to experience their own adventure tailored to their own personal preferences for adventure.