MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research

Authors: Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek
Year: 2004
Summary: This paper presents the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework, a formal approach for understanding and designing games. It breaks games down into three components: Mechanics (the rules and systems), Dynamics (the run-time behavior of the mechanics in response to player inputs), and Aesthetics (the desirable emotional responses evoked in the player). It helps designers focus on the player's experience.
Link: https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf