Game Fun

Source: Megamification

Caption: the eight kinds of "fun"

There are eight types of Fun outlined by the MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics). They are both a source of reference and player experience that blend together in many ways, and essentially what makes a game engaging and enjoyable.

Nicole Lazzaro presents four types of fun that are involved in defining how fun a game can be for different players:

• Easy Fun: this is essentially for players who are new to a game who want to satiate their curiosity.
• Hard Fun: it is essentially for people who love a good challenge.
• People Fun: amusement from competition and cooperation. Meaning Co-op.
• Serious Fun: excitement from changing the player and their world.

The concept of Flow is characterized as a balance between skill-challenge and the individual's enjoyment. When in flow, the player is focused on the activity they are participating. This gives a sense of reward and promotes further engagement in the activity.

Fun is just the dopamine in our brains firing when we are presented  with a new situation to learn from

-Koster

Games help people to become more imaginative, engage with their creative side of the brain and create new ideas/designs that can be implemented in games.

When playing games we should be provided with a balance of fun and challenges. These are called either type 1 or type 2 games and these have their own unique way of being played. The type 1 games involve strategy and thinking, games such as "Chess " or "Poker", whereas type 2 games mainly involve quick reflexes and combo memorization, such as “Mortal Kombat" and "Call of Duty”.

We come across different types of fun in games that fulfill our amusement. Fun in games is provided in many different ways, for example through socialising with friends or exploring the game world. People experience different emotions when driven by gameplay, which creates opportunities for “Flow”, “balance” and “learning”.

References:

• The Theory of Fun For Game Design | Raph Koster and The Art of Designing Fun Games
• Putting The "Fun Factor" Into Gaming: The Influence of Social Contexts on Experiences of Playing Videogames
• Gamification Design: what has fun got to do with it?

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