# MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research

*Source* · `src-hunicke-2004-mda` · status: **n/a**

| field | value |
|---|---|
| kind | Peer-reviewed paper |
| authors | Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek |
| venue | AAAI Workshop Papers 2004 (WS-04-04) |
| date | 2004 |
| url | https://aaai.org/papers/ws04-04-001-mda-a-formal-approach-to-game-design-and-game-research/ |
| accessed | 2026-10-31 |

## Notes

Read the AAAI page and the authors' PDF (users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf). Splits a game into mechanics (its components at the level of data representation and algorithms), dynamics (the run-time behavior of the mechanics acting on player inputs and each other's outputs over time) and aesthetics (the emotional responses evoked in the player); developed for the GDC Game Design and Tuning Workshop, 2001 to 2004.

## Citation

Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek (2004). *MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research*. AAAI Workshop Papers 2004 (WS-04-04) https://aaai.org/papers/ws04-04-001-mda-a-formal-approach-to-game-design-and-game-research/

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Provenance: created in run `2026-10-31-paper-related-work`.