Notes on Aesthetics of Play

mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics
How are games categorized?
- mechanics: the math of shooting in RPG
- dynamics: the experiential play of the mechanicals. eg running and gunning
- aesthetics: the emotive experience
Players care about aesthetics → dynamics → mechanics
Game designers care about mechanics → dynamics → aesthetics
Game designers have labeled an aesthetically diverse group by its MECHANICS
- First Person Shooter (100s of games labeled as such just because the camera or the POV is that of FPS. But, each game is wildly different aesthetically)
Types of aesthetics:
- Sense Pleasure : Feels good on some sense like on the eyes, or feel good.
- Fantasy: be someone you cannot be in real life. Eg — being a soldier, or a rockstar, or a football player (FIFA career mode)
- Narrative : Game as drama. Observing others in their life struggles.
- Challenge: Game as an obstacle course. Desirable difficulty.
- Fellowship: camaraderie or multi player games
- Competition: Games as expression of self dominance.
- Discovery : Exploring new domains, world, tools etc.
- Expression: Creating tools, gears, costumes, dances for your virtual characters
- Abnegation: Game as past time. Let’s you zone out from your life for a bit

My chosen game:

Horizon : Legend of the dawn

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