Applying The MDA Framework For Video Game Design To Productivity - by Kaki Okumura - The Startup - Medium PDF

10/5/2020 Applying the MDA Framework for Video Game Design to Productivity | by Kaki Okumura | The Startup | Medium
You have 2 free stories left this month. Upgrade for unlimited access.
Applying the MDA Framework for Video

Game Design to Productivity
So what if we could design the goals in our life using video game design?
Kaki Okumura Follow

Aug 4, 2019 · 9 min read
Did you first read what video games can teach us about productivity? If not, check
it out before continuing!
What is the MDA Framework?

The MDA framework was developed by Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek, as
a way to define a clear way we can approach engaging video game design.
MDA stands for Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics. Each of these terms correspond
to a component of a game:
Mechanics = Rules of the game
Dynamics = How the game is played
Aesthetics = Feelings we should have while playing the game
https://medium.com/swlh/applying-the-mda-framework-for-video-game-design-to-productivity-8329115ce30f 1/11
Game designers will establish the rules and boundaries of a game (mechanics) to create
a certain sort of playing environment (dynamics) which will invoke certain feelings,
such as fun or thrill, in the player (aesthetics).
If you’re a bit confused, here’s a clearer example:
In Mario Kart, the Mario-themed car racing game, there is a tool called a blue shell
which has the power to blast away whoever is in first place. Players who have played
Mario Kart before know of this special weapon, so they may strategize by staying in close
2nd place until the very end, to avoid being targeted by the blue shell. In this case, the
mechanic is the blue shell, the dynamic is trailing close behind 1st, and the
aesthetic is the feeling of frustration we would have as player one, and the feeling of
schadenfreude (new favorite word: satisfaction from another’s misfortune) as a player
behind them.
To apply these principles to motivation, we should focus on what we can tweak to the
mechanics to produce desirable aesthetics, and create a better system of work to combat
procrastination.
Mechanics = Plan to get tasks done
Dynamics = How you get work done
Aesthetics = Feelings we should have while completing tasks
To understand what this means to you, it is helpful to familiarize yourself with the two
kinds of tasks we tend to procrastinate with.
The two kinds of tasks we procrastinate with:

Have-To-Dos:
These are tasks usually forced onto us, and tend to be mundane in nature. They usually
have deadlines, make us panic, and can cause us to suffer from dread and anxiety.
Consequences of incompletion include, but are not limited to, getting yelled at by
superiors, being criticized by your parents, or feeling frustrated for submitting sub-par
and incomplete work. We all have different reactions to these potential consequences.
None of these reactions are preferable, as all of these scenarios lead us to anxiety,
exhaustion, and we are left feeling jaded.
These kinds of tasks are lacking in Aesthetics.
Want-To-Dos:
These are tasks that are not forced onto us, but things that are important to pursue for
ourselves if we are to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. Some common Want-To-Dos
include becoming physically fit, reading more books, starting your own business,
traveling, or becoming fluent in another language. Consequences of incompletion
include “nothing”, as in there is no anxiety or stress in getting it done. But these goals
make our lives richer, allow us to experience what life has to offer, and ultimately make
us a lot happier by challenging our full potential.
These kinds of tasks are lacking in Mechanics.
terms are borrowed from Tim Urban, master procrastinator
Why Have-To-Dos Make Us Procrastinate

Have you ever downloaded a new calendar or to-do list app on your phone? You saw
that it had great reviews on the App store, and it seemed like this was going to be the
magic tool that would solve all your tendencies for distraction. You wrote everything you
had to do on it, did the typical “break down daunting tasks into small, manageable
actions”, set a time limit, chose the perfect location to work, and made yourself a cup of
coffee to ready yourself.
But did it work?
The good thing about Have-To-Do tasks is that they have great mechanics. These tasks
are very easy to plan for, tend to be deadlined, and have clear guidelines as to what
needs to be done.The truth is, procrastinators actually love to plan for these tasks.
Creating a schedule is not the problem. Procrastination doesn’t stem from a lack of
organization or laziness, because if that were the case, procrastinators wouldn’t have
trouble following through. What tends to be the case is that procrastinators will have
their space set up, they’ll sit down with a pencil in hand, and then dread sets in —
because no matter how chopped up it is, the arduous task still exists.
And so what do you do when you feel unmotivated and lethargic from just thinking
about the task at hand? You open your phone. You scroll through Instagram. You open
Youtube and go on a deep dive. You stand up and go to the kitchen and wash the dishes.
“Once my headspace is relaxed, I’ll feel better, and then I can work.”
But that feeling of relief never comes. Instead, the stress of the assigned task floats
around in the back of your mind as you try not to think about it, making you even more
anxious. Once you finish whatever you distracted yourself with, you now realize you feel
even worse, and decide that you need to relax yourself again with something else. And
then you find yourself spending 5 hours finishing half of the work you told yourself you
would finish in an hour.
We get distracted because we hate the feeling of doing our work that we have to do!
Have-To-Dos lack in aesthetics, which lead to poor dynamics — meaning, our feelings
toward Have-To-Dos are comprised of negative thoughts like dread and anxiety, which
cause us to stress and fear completing these tasks. So instead we choose to procrastinate
and complete unimportant activities that make us feel better. We know that completing
the assigned work is the reasonable choice that will benefit us, but these feelings never
seem to outweigh the relief we get from distracting ourselves.
Why Want-To-Dos Make Us Procrastinate

Want-To-Dos lack in mechanics, rather than aesthetics, which lead to poor dynamics.
Meaning, thinking and dreaming of our Want-To-Dos is fun, gets us excited, and inspires
us, but we tend to have no clear vision of how to get there, which is why we
procrastinate these goals off.
The uncertainty of what to do and no clear direction of what will help us move forward
causes our inner mentality for success to weaken. Often times we will feel motivated for
a few days but then give up. This feeling is so strong that sometimes we’ll pretend that
we never even wanted it in the first place, and that our initial desire never even existed.
We like to convince ourselves of being ‘fine’ when struggle settles in our mind. For
example, let’s say we have a strong desire to help abandoned dogs. We recognize that
there is a huge puppy mill problem in our city and we want to change the way people
view pet adoption and raise awareness about the unethical practices of pet stores. But
how do we start? Let’s say you try volunteering at a shelter, but all you do is pick up poop
and walk the dogs sometimes. You ask what else you can do and the shelter tells you
they need more donations, but you have no idea how to raise it. Do you do a bake sale?
Will people help you? Are you allowed to sell at your workplace or do you need
permission from administration?
So you come up with reasons not to pursue something that might not work. Common
answers include “I’m not qualified”, “I have other responsibilities to tend to first”,
“Someone else would do a better job that I can”. Not to say that none of these reasons
are valid, but you can understand how easy it is to abandon your Want-To-Dos.
We must set clear mechanics, which are rules and systems that will keep our task
boundaries narrow enough that we can construct a clear vision of what we want, what
we need to do, and when to complete it, if we are to achieve our goals.
Rules and challenges are not the enemy of productivity; they can actually increase our
motivation for progress. What we actually need for Want-To-Do tasks are boundaries so
we don’t feel overwhelmed by the tasks that lie ahead of us. Challenge can be difficult,
frustrating, risky, and annoying, but overcoming these difficulties is ultimately what
makes us feel satisfied and accomplished. Our Want-To-Do tasks may even become
Have-To-Do tasks, but with the proper aesthetics in place, that you really want what
you’re striving for, then the challenge to get there will ultimately be very fun.
Conclusion
To summarize, here are the key points I hope you take home at the end of my 2-part
procrastination series:
3 Key Components to motivation:

1. Some challenge
2. Purpose
3. Some control over your own fate
MDA Framework:
MDA stands for Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics. Game designers will establish the
rules and boundaries of a game (mechanics) to create a certain sort of playing
environment (dynamics) which will invoke certain feelings, such as fun or thrill, in the
player (aesthetics).
There are two kinds of tasks we procrastinate with: Have-To-Dos and Want-To-
Dos
1. Have-To-Dos lack in aesthetics, which lead to poor dynamics — meaning, our
feelings toward Have-To-Dos are comprised of negative thoughts like dread and
anxiety, which cause us to stress and fear completing these tasks, so we procrastinate
and instead choose unimportant activities that make us feel better.
To combat Have-To-Dos, we need to change the aesthetics of these tasks, to stop

associating feelings of dread with them.
1. Want-To-Dos lack in mechanics. We must set clear rules and systems that will keep
our task boundaries narrow enough that we can construct a clear vision of what we
want, what we need to do, and when to complete it, if we are to achieve our goals.
Rules and challenges are not the enemy of productivity; they can actually increase
our motivation for progress.
To combat Want-To-Dos, we need to change the mechanics of these tasks, so we feel less
overwhelmed and stay on path to our goals.
Using video game design to optimize for productivity and motivation, this framework
can help us structure our thinking to prioritize, make decisions, and find meaning in
challenging ourselves — and in turn will help us produce our best work, attract amazing
opportunities, and bring exciting adventures into our own lives.
In the following weeks I’ll be working on writing articles that describes more concrete ways
you can change the aesthetics of doing Have-To-Do work and mechanics of Want-To-Work!
In the meantime…
If this article was any use to you, please leave a comment or email me at
kokumura@kakikata.space! I love hearing from individuals, learning from them, and
the personal stories people have to share. I reply to every single email I get, and want
nothing more than to support those who are looking for a bit of guidance and ways to
help themselves.
With care,
Kaki
Productivity Design Goal Setting Procrastination Work
About Help Legal
Get the Medium app

Applying The MDA Framework For Video Game Design To Productivity - by Kaki Okumura - The Startup - Medium PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Applying The MDA Framework For Video Game Design To Productivity - by Kaki Okumura - The Startup - Medium PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

10/5/2020 Applying the MDA Framework for Video Game Design to Productivity | by Kaki Okumura | The Startup | Medium

Applying the MDA Framework for Video

Kaki Okumura Follow

What is the MDA Framework?

Mechanics = Rules of the game

Dynamics = How the game is played

Aesthetics = Feelings we should have while playing the game

If you’re a bit confused, here’s a clearer example:

Mechanics = Plan to get tasks done

Dynamics = How you get work done

Aesthetics = Feelings we should have while completing tasks

The two kinds of tasks we procrastinate with:

These kinds of tasks are lacking in Aesthetics.

These kinds of tasks are lacking in Mechanics.

terms are borrowed from Tim Urban, master procrastinator

Why Have-To-Dos Make Us Procrastinate

But did it work?

Why Want-To-Dos Make Us Procrastinate

3 Key Components to motivation:

3. Some control over your own fate

To combat Have-To-Dos, we need to change the aesthetics of these tasks, to stop

Productivity Design Goal Setting Procrastination Work

About Help Legal

Get the Medium app

You might also like