Game Master Framework

Our in-house game master framework is a model built on the basis of many #gamification gurus.

The goal is to setup a framework that will help people understand easily where to strat, what are the key points of a gamified system and how to test it on a conceptual level before putting all the effort in developing the content which is a lot harder and time consuming

The MDA framework for game design states to build three things: MECHANICS, DYNAMICS and AESETHICS (a.k.a. components acording to Kevin Werbach’s pyramid of game anatomy)

In my experience the framework order should always be: 1)Dynamics, 2) Mechanics and 3) Aesethics. Doing it differently will affect your workflow heavily. When you need to make changes dynamics should be the last things to touch as changing  them will mosify everything in cascade.

Our first approach on the framework is the Dynamics.

We defined six:

1. Narrative
2. Environment
3. Win state
4. Progression
5. Relationships
6. Limits

These aren’t  at all absolute or definitive. You may find authors who use them as mechanics or won’t  consider them as fundamental, however, I’ve  found that filling this six steps first is the best way to organize a gamified system.

Coming up next: Narrative. Why are the players here.

Any thoughts?