Gamification And Game Design Elements: A Comparative Analysis Using MDA Framework

Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics of MDA Framework

Discuss About The Gamification Refers To Game Design Elements?

The word gamification refers to the game design elements and the principles of the game in a non-game context. It is used to identify the market requirement, psychology of the customers behind the desire and other factors come in to action related to the success of a game. Designers use it as a tool to understand the deliverables (Mora et al., 2015). The principle tool used by all is the MDA framework or Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics framework. It enables us to understand a game from different angles. Game research, game criticism, game development and game design can be studied using this framework (Buttfield-Addison, Manning & Nugent, 2016). The framework breaks down the game into three parts that are mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics that will be highlighted in the later part of the essay. A comparative analysis will be conducted in the essay using the MDA framework for gaining the desirable knowledge (Harms et al., 2014). The games that will be studied and compared are Monument Valley and Infinite Loop. These are two mobile based games available both in Android and IOS. A analytical study is put forward in the following part of the essay.

Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics of better known as the MDA is a used as a practical tool by the game designer. It requires investigating every piece separately as well as in respect to one another. It also contributes in formalizing the consumption of games by breaking them into distinct components. They are rules, systems and fun that are comparable with mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics accordingly. The tool has two way use as lens and as view as proposed by LeBlane in 2004, but can be linked together to get a proper understanding (Aleven et al., 2010).

The first part of the tool is mechanics that can be compared with the verb of the game. These are the rules and codes that facilitates in structuring the game in the basic level. These are various behaviors, actions and control mechanism that are offered to the gamer with a game context. Mechanics works as the backbone of the gameplay dynamics with collaboration to the game’s content. Example can be drawn from the card games that includes shuffling, trick-taking  and betting out of which, dynamics of bluffing might arrive. These components are to be adjusted in exact order to fine tune the game’s overall dynamics. Monopoly is created to maintain the flavor of the game such as adding mechanics to encourage the time pressure inorder to speed up the game. In relation to this, the payouts need to be increased for holding the gamers’ interest in the game (Kim, 2015).

Monument Valley

Second piece of MDA is the dynamics, which can be referred as the grammar of the game. Dynamics and mechanics are correlated with each other to provide the best outcome. The game components are defined on the basis of the dynamics. The best possible way of describing dynamic is the pattern of loop that develops the game components and game mechanics into a large sequence of play. It is used by the developers to create the aesthetic experience of the gamer. Various challenges are put forward to the gamers using components such as, multiplayer mode, time pressure. On the other hand, various encouragements are supplied throughout the game to contain its flavor for the gamer to move forward in the game and lead them to purchase game contents , earning game points are many more. The models are developed in such a fashion that it can avoid the common possible pitfall of the game at any means. The feedback mechanism helps to bring the flexibility needed for designing the dynamics of the game (Lounis, Pramatari & Theotokis, 2014).

Aesthetics are the final part of the puzzle that can facilitate in defining the models for the gameplay that again contributes in understanding the dynamics and mechanism. It describes the emotional responses of the game, like, fantasy, discovery, competition or narrative and many more. It can be presented as the compass of the game that is used to define the model for the gameplay Supportive adversarial are essential components of aesthetics that continuously provide feedback to the gamer and keep him updated about the games status to keep him motivated, without which, the players will suddenly lost their interest and the game will go dull. In the following part of the will contribute in analyzing these with respect to the smartphone games that are under study (Robson et al., 2015).

The Monument Valley is a architectural puzzle game available both in IOS and Android platform in smartphones and tablets released in 2014. It is developed by the Studio Ustwo. The story of the game is based on a princess named Ida her dream of geometric designs and the player has to guide her through the game and avoiding the crow men in roaming around the puzzle and reach to the top of the monument. The goal of the game as stated is very clear as the player has to guide the princess that is the white figure in the game to the top of the monument without getting caught by the near similar black figures through the illusive and changing geometric designs. The isometric grid pattern has made the architecture looks impossible from the player’s point of view which can lead to a solution. For example, a bride or a walkway in the game may seem to be a dead end can lead to a new area with just a quick rotation of the map. It involves high manipulation of perspectives. The puzzles first hand impression on the player completely changes at the end the stage. All the levels of the game have low poly influence. It is mostly associated with moving entitles and have excellent graphical expression. The game mechanics is clearly visible in the game. The game is divided into 10 chapters and various stages in it that ultimately lead to the top of the monument. The game is not time bound or speed bound and gives player unlimited time to complete their actions. The in play screen has nothing but the character and the architecture. The player has to move various pieces of the architecture to move upwards of the architecture, but the character can’t be touched. The player has to touch on the location to direct it (play.google.com, 2017; wordpress.com, 2017).

Infinite Loop

Dynamics of the game reflects the travelling to different levels. The goal of the character in the game is to move upwards in the architecture. The scene completely changes on reaching the final part of the monument by different means. With no run time of in the game, the player gets unlimited time to think and take proper steps to move forward in the game.

The game looks pretty good with low poly influence and the management of the designs. The background sound sets the appropriate mood for the game scenario. The tone sets perfect mood of the game. It involves a high level of thinking and requires skill to see through the illusion of the design as mentioned earlier. To support the flavor of the game, there are small surprises throughout the game. The overall game provides the player a mixture of happy feelings, but the tune sometime reflects a sad emotion. It also includes the survival factor into play with detailing the crow men in the game (Bergström, Björk & Lundgren, 2010).

The game infinity Loop is considered to be the most trending in the year 2017. The genre of the game is puzzle which provided the player a supply of unlimited level to work upon. The game has two modes that are normal mode and the dark mode. The normal mode asks the player to connect all the lines and the corners to make a perfect connection without leaving any of the parts open. Whereas, the dark mode wants the gamer to disconnect all the connected line and no single line should be connected to any of the parts. There is another part of the game that allows the player to create their own puzzle and to play puzzles created by other players around the globe. The game is based on a two dimensional board with various background colors available. The details make the game simple and attractive at the same time with rich graphical work. The developers claim the goal of Infinity Loop is to allow the player to release their stress and think in a sound mind. There is only two rules in the game that is stated earlier, that is to connect all the loops in normal mode and establish a proper connection. On the other hand, the player has to separate all the lines from one another in the dark mode. The gameplay requires the player to touch the lines to rotate them. Every single touch allows the player to rotate the line 90º in clockwise direction. In game is not supported by any storyline and provides the player to complete endless levels with different difficulties in hand. Moreover, the game is not bounded by time, and gives the player an infinite time to place his moves that sometimes makes the game a kind of boring. Also there are no secrets hidden in the game. No strategic plan is visible in the game, other than the developers’ goal to make its customers feel relaxed. The skills that are required from the player is to identify the pattern which will connect all the loose ends of the pipe lines. The gamer has to tap on their touch screen to perform the action (play.google.com, 2017).

The overall dynamics of the game is pretty dull. Matching the loops is the only task that the game offers to the player with sequential increase in the difficulty level. A large coded database is put in the game that offers infinite possible problems. But the problem lies with the difficulty level that is restricted to a particular level that makes the game a bit dull for the player to carry on playing. It can serve the goal set by the developers if it is used in a specific time gap.

On the aesthetic part of the analysis, it can be said that the game has a simple two dimensional appearance, with minimal chance to explore around the screen. The background music of the game is soothing which helps the player to clear their mind and direct their thinking to a single direction in solving the puzzle. There is no event that occurs in the game that can be highlighted. Moreover, the game is based on simple platform with simple technological complications which simplifies the overall technological issues for the player. The game has direct psychological impression on the player as it gives the player a chance to release the pressure and tension. Other than this, the game has no other implication (Zichermann & Cunningham, 2011).

The conclusion can be drawn from the above discussion that the analysis tool used to study the above mentioned games provides support in formal, iterative approach to design and tuning. The analytical model proves its importance for both the developers and customers for better understanding of the game. Dynamic behavior of the game’s system can be conceptualized from the Study conducted with the help of MDA model. It can be stated that the game monument Valley has greater potential in attracting the users and keep them involved for greater time period where the Infinity Loop lacks. Monument Valley shows much greater dynamic value in comparison to the second game. Though both the games are classified under the same genre as puzzle, both has significant difference in between

References

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