Designing the Core Dynamics
Designing the Core Dynamics
Designing the Core Dynamics
All games are built on mechanics. Sometimes they involve a series of mechanics that interact with players to form dynamics. Games are often structured around a “core dynamic” that shapes the player’s experience and informs any actionable takeaways that they may have from learning, serious, or educational games.
This article specifically discusses the design and development of core dynamics for games. It’ll begin with a review of the Mechanics – Dynamics – Aesthetics (MDA) game design framework which will provide an overview and basis for discussing game dynamics. Game mechanics will also be explained along with how they compare to dynamics.
Core dynamics will then be defined and discussed along with the requisite different levels of core dynamics and some of the most common dynamics found in games. Game dynamics will be examined in practice before illustrating specific examples of how to outline and design a core dynamic in games.
The article will close with game testing with a specific focus on core dynamics and improvements that can be made based on players’ experiences. Finally, applied games will be discussed as they relate to the overall design of core dynamics
Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics MDA
One framework that designers take in their approach is the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics format: otherwise known as MDA. This has been structured as a linear format that represents how designers approach games as well as how players play them. Players first interact and engage with the game’s aesthetics before exploring the dynamics the game offers through their specific mechanics. Likewise, designers approach games from the opposite direction first focusing on the game’s mechanics, then exploring how those mechanics interact with each other and the player to form dynamics before addressing the aesthetics of the game.
Specifically in this process we’ll examine game dynamics as the behaviors that emerge throughout gameplay when players interact with the mechanics embodied within them. Dynamics are sandwiched in the middle of this process because they relate to both the mechanics of the game as well as the aesthetics. Players will view dynamics as an extension that are related to the aesthetics and “theme” of the game. Whereas designers examine and build dynamics based on what mechanics support them and the goal of the design and players’ intent.
An example of the MDA framework in action can be seen in popular first-person shooter games. The aesthetics can be wherever the battle takes place: whether that be a historical moment, a modern one, or a fantastical one. The mechanics of the game involve players moving throughout space using weapons to eliminate their opponents. A core dynamic of these games is often the use of “spawn points” where players learn they will re-generate from once they are eliminated. A dynamic that could arise from this is often where other players will “camp” these spawn points leading to an easy elimination from the camping player and frustration from the spawning one.
Game Mechanics Explained
Before we can discuss the core dynamics of games, we must examine and define game mechanics. Game mechanics are fundamental elements of games that drive game play and shapes how players interact with the game and others. Familiar game mechanics that are seen in many tabletop games include turn-taking, scoring, and resource management.
Core mechanics are slightly different than game mechanics as these are the primary actions and activities that players will do and take within a game until the entire game is resolved. Essentially core mechanics are game mechanics where the game will cease to function if removed. Examples of this from video games include jumping with a player character in platforming games like Super Mario Bros and shooting in first person shooters like Call of Duty.
Game mechanics are also known as “affordances” and are special as they allow game designers to create interactions for players that are (hopefully) intuitive for the player that blends the rules and formal structure of games with play to make the experience more accessible. The result of which is greater immersion within the game that benefits players who engage at varying skill levels.
Core mechanics are as diverse as games themselves and are often shaped based on the aesthetic outcome of the game. Specifically, cooperative games often emphasize synergy, communication, and collaboration between players. However, these are usually included as secondary mechanics as they support primary actions for players. An example of this can be seen in cooperative games like Pandemic where players core mechanics are to move around the board and clear virus cubes. However, synergy, communication, and collaboration between players is key to achieving shared goals between them.
Additional secondary mechanics serve “off-core” functions that support the core mechanic if utilized. Examples of other secondary mechanics include collectibles, side quests, and player character customization options which are present but are not necessary for completing the game.
Now that we’ve defined mechanics in games, let’s relate them to dynamics in game design.
Mechanics vs. Dynamics
We previously discussed that mechanics encompass the affordances and the basic actions and abilities of players in games. Dynamics take those individual elements and represent them as applications inside of the game. An example provided before was shooting in first person shooters. The game mechanic of shooting can be used against other players through a combat dynamic. Likewise other players will be shooting back at the player character. Their combat has created a dynamic of eliminating other players while preventing oneself from being eliminated. This is often supported by other secondary mechanics such as running, hiding, and evading other players.
It's important to note that mechanics in games represent the most basic actions that players can take. Dynamics are the applications of those basic actions within the rest of the game system. Examples from hyper-casual mobile games are usually based solely on very simple mechanics such as tapping or dragging items on a screen. This is done for ease of accessibility and to appeal to a broad audience. But this basic mechanic can also be paired with matching and set collection dynamics to create more emergent gameplay that we can see in games like Bejeweled.
Therefore, the main difference between mechanics and dynamics is the interaction between a mechanic in the game and player interaction which provides opportunities for individuals to create and develop emergent strategies. These strategies represent emergent gameplay which is found in more challenging games.
From the perspective of the player’s experience, core game dynamics form the underlying principles for why players play the game and drive motivation. The best game dynamics address fundamental human desires such as acquiring status, achieving, and competing against others.
Core Dynamics Definition
Now that we’ve covered game mechanics and dynamics and the difference between both, it’s time to examine the core dynamics of games – specifically accommodating dynamics as the “middle sphere” of play and something that straddles the line between game mechanics that make up the game and the aesthetics that represents interaction to players.
This “middle sphere” can also be called the “game core” which includes essential elements such as objectives that support a cohesive experience. Clear game cores help designers maintain their efforts in creating a unified experience for players. Thus a solid core dynamic supports the player experience.
The “core loop” of the game is the most essential element of the game core and includes the gameplay mechanics that repeat and continuously reinforce player behavior until the game is resolved. Game dynamics interact with the core loop by iterating on outcomes for players. Thus, as players take and make decisions in games, the results lead to different outcomes for players. An example of this is how a single move in Go can create a new game state with different permutations for the opposing player. The continual update of the game state through player actions represents the core dynamic.
The core dynamic is also more complex than core loops of games. The interaction of the player in the game makes it so that complex patterns emerge and create a similar and familiar feeling in the player’s experience that sustains their interests over time.
Modern elements of core dynamics in games represent players actions that fulfill secondary outcomes supported by the core loop. Such actions include, but are not limited to: collecting different items, exploring the game world or racing. All of which support the reinforcement of specific skills or behaviors.
More advanced and complex games include many different game dynamics that interact and connect with the core mechanic in different ways. Each new dynamic offers the player a new experience connected to the core loop of the game that supports their continued engagement. The result of which is the fulfilment of a crucial element of game design to provide a means for players to interact, engage, and receive feedback on their actions which further reinforces and supports their play.
Core Dynamics Levels
Games can support multiple dynamics so long as they all connect to the core loop in some way. These types of dynamics are broken down into different types and levels.
The first includes systems dynamics which connect and link the different game mechanics together. These create “patterns” of play that provide a means for the player to observe and determine their progression in the game. An example of this can be seen in modern tabletop “euro games” that include scoring rubrics known as “point salads” where multiple different and separate activities combine to determine a unified score for the player to compare against opponents.
Dynamics can also be sorted into different levels such as primary dynamics which move the game state forward. This can often be seen in poker where folding moves the game state forward by eliminating players from the current hand and changing the pot odds and drawing odds for remaining players.
This is compared to secondary dynamics which affect different players’ states. This can be seen in Battleship where hits or misses determine the state of each player’s board and how close they are to winning or losing and resolving the game.
Lastly, there are main dynamics that change both the game state, as with the primary dynamic, and players states, as with secondary dynamics. An example of this can be seen in Werewolf where nominating players to be eliminated during the day phase helps deduce player roles in the game.
Examples of Core Dynamics
There are many dynamics that can be engaged in games. Any of those can also be utilized for the core dynamic. The following is a list of popular core dynamics along with their goals, player engagement, and how they are used within games.
Racing is a core dynamic where the natural goal for players is to reach the finish line first. This is usually observed in competition through leaderboards – especially in applications of gamification. The race core dynamic works well because it provides a means for players to determine their speed and progression in the game compared to other players. When examining applied games, the race mechanic is useful for representing time-bound goals and activities such as completing tasks within deadlines or a specified period.
Territorial acquisition or territory control is another common core dynamic where players are tasked with gaining control of areas to use their power and generate limited resources – a theme that can often be found in modern tabletop games like Carcassonne and digital games like Call of Duty where players must compete against others for control. This core dynamic does not need to always be attributed to territory and can instead be associated with knowledge acquisition for training and serious games. This dynamic is also useful for mirroring marketing dominance by controlling revenue generating territories which may be useful for business training.
Collection is another core dynamic that is often found in collectible card games and is generally focused on grouping similar items together. Collecting as a dynamic is also seen in digital platformer games where player characters must collect similar items for a specific reward. This dynamic also rewards digital game players with daily logins which promotes “streaks” creating player habits over the long term. This dynamic can be used in applied games when the collection activity is associated with individual (customers’) needs.
Prediction is a core dynamic that involves some skill and some luck and is often seen in many party games. This core dynamic is centered around players guessing outcomes or making strategic choices based on probability. Some common games that include prediction as a dynamic are roulette, Monopoly, and Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Building is another core dynamic that is related to collecting and promotes players’ often natural inclination to create and develop. This is often seen in games as a form of construction and is common in role-playing games and city building games like SimCity and Catan. This core dynamic can be used in applied games by linking construction-based activities to a narrative of creation and development to make learning objectives compelling.
Conversely, destruction is a core dynamic that is often found in first-person shooters and warfare games and is usually linked with competition and eliminating opponents. In non-warfare focused games, destruction emphasizes the elimination of obstacles and other items that may hinder players’ abilities.
Spatial reasoning is a core dynamic that is closely linked to puzzles and creates a solution based on awareness of the players’ surroundings. Spatial reasoning requires the player to think about position and arrangement of items. Games that use this core dynamic are Tetris and Connect Four.
Trading is a core dynamic that can involve other players or the game itself. It includes the changing of items or materials for other components that are needed for a specific purpose or have greater relevant value. Trading is often seen as a social mechanic that utilizes negotiation and exchange. It can be seen in tabletop games like Pit and digital games like Animal Crossing.
Exploration as a core dynamic is often seen in applied and educational games that encourage players to explore topics further: often eliciting and reinforcing behavior change through application of learning content to real world scenarios. Exploration can be found in many open world games such as the Legend of Zelda but is most often used successfully by learning games as the exploration usually requires some kind of analysis and acquired knowledge before venturing further. This is representative of investigative learning.
Chasing and evading is a core dynamic that is like racing but there are no single goals for players to reach. Instead, this dynamic is often paired with survival objectives and collection dynamics for players to either avoid or pursue. This can be seen in first-person shooters where players are attempting to eliminate or destroy others – whereas the opposing team is actively evading opponents to prevent this. Like building, this core dynamic often appeals to a primal instinct of players to pursue or escape and can be seen in contact sports, Pac-Man and tabletop games like Scotland Yard.
Survival is a core dynamic that is often paired with chasing and evading and is often experienced in the horror genre of games. Survival is one of the most visceral forms of dynamics as it focuses on the instinctual form of self-preservation – but may be a secondary objective compared to others in a game. Fighting games such as Mortal Kombat embody the survival dynamic along with several others.
Lastly, movement is a core dynamic that is usually so simple it is often ignored by players and designers alike. It simply represents the player character moving through a space that affects the game state. Some of the simplest and earliest digital games such as Pong, Super Mario Bros, and more modern games such as the Halo series represent movement. This movement is often paired with specific spatial constraints and creates challenges for players.
Game Dynamics in Practice
Dynamics often serve as the main “feature” of games as more advanced and interconnected forms of engagement compared to game mechanics and thematic representation of games through aesthetics. Therefore, game dynamics heavily influence the player’s experience and how players interpret and remember games. Resident Evil is an excellent example of how game dynamics affect the player’s experience as purposefully designed slow and restrictive controls creates a sense of fear and tension in the game when combating an onslaught of faster opponents.
Players often remember this type of experience as “gameplay” and it encompasses all of the player’s actions and responses. Therefore, “good” gameplay is characterized by both enjoyment and challenge by the player which is influenced by players interaction with the mechanics of the game and the feedback they receive from it.
Player interaction with the game is what influences “emergent gameplay” which is the unexpected ways in which players engage – often because of creativity with the game’s mechanics. The creation of this emergent play also influences the game’s overall rhythm and supposition of player motivations which influences the pace of play. This pace often forms a signature element of the game’s influence on players and one of its more memorable qualities.
This is why it’s important to reinforce specific player behaviors in the game such as continued engagement despite setbacks. Game dynamics can help feed this by creating opportunities for health regeneration and other factors which provide players with positive and continued play. This can be observed in DOOM: Eternal with “glory kills” where eliminating specific opponents through melee attacks yields greater rewards than through ranged methods. The results of which is an interesting risk/rewards dynamic where players may overextend themselves to achieve greater rewards.
Games can also have multiple dynamics that connect with one another. Total War integrates strategic planning with real-time combat while Deus Ex combines various modes that include hacking and combat, while Batman: Arkham Asylum combines fighting, flying, and stealth.
Conversely, mobile games often adopt a few simple mechanics and a single core dynamic. This is done because interfaces and onboarding for players may require more patience and time due to users’ constraints. Therefore, mobile games may emphasize greater ease of play over desktop-based PC games which can focus on more cerebral rather than physical mechanics.
Game dynamics can also include the human and social elements. This is true for multiplayer games where player interactions such as alliances and teamwork for cooperative games create a means for players to customize their interaction with one another.
Designing Core Dynamics
Adding the first mechanic into a game is often simple. Building upon it makes it more difficult and complex. Then getting other mechanics to fit into the game along with player interactions to form dynamics is even trickier. This increased complexity doesn’t always correlate with quality though. Simple games can still be engaging and thoughtful.
However, you as the designer won’t know the overall impact that your mechanics and dynamics will have on the player until you’ve created a minimum viable prototype (MVP) to test it with players. To create this MVP, you’ll need to first design the core loop of the game. An easy way to do this is to visualize what repetitive actions players will take continuously in the game until it comes to its conclusion. A good way to ensure that your core mechanic is smooth is to itemize each element in the loop of what players will do and connect it to a player experience that you want your learner to have.
An example of this can be seen in Super Mario Bros where a core mechanic is movement that takes the player’s character from the left side of the screen to the right side of the screen. This movement mimics the western style of reading and represents progression in the game as players progress from one level to the next: but always move from left to right.
At this point you can add some additional secondary mechanics that also support this core mechanic. Those include fewer common interactions. Continuing to use Super Mario Bros as an example, we can attribute power ups such as Mushrooms and Fire Flowers as means for the player’s avatar to increase their survivability throughout the world.
The relationship between the core loop, core mechanics; and secondary mechanics all support the core dynamic of the game. Returning to our Super Mario Bros example, the core mechanic of movement and secondary mechanic of power ups feed into the core dynamic of exploration of the world. This is visually represented in the left to right movement of the character on the screen and the overall increase of survivability of our character when power ups are obtained.
The overall purpose of the core dynamic is to unify the mechanics of gameplay with the overall player experience and how it works in concert with the aesthetics of the game. This is often connected via a story layer which provides context and purpose to players’ actions.
Since the core dynamic of the game is meant to unify mechanics and aesthetics to maintain player engagement, it can be helpful to think about player actions as forming a sentence with noun and verb agreement. This ensures what players are doing to maintain their engagement. Our Super Mario Bros example can include “Mario (subject) will jump (verb) on goombas to defeat them.”
As the designer it’s important to define, practice, and ultimately understand the core dynamics of the game: especially for instructional or educational purposes. Too often, designers focus on the individual mechanics of gameplay or on the theme of the game and its associated aesthetics in favor of creating clear connections between gaming content and learning content.
Testing Core Dynamics
Games can only be designed to a certain state where they must be played with and tested to determine if they will survive to fulfill the player experience. Therefore, it’s important that games be play tested to determine if the balance between core mechanics in the design support or detract from the player experience. The process is then repeated for the core dynamics in the game as well as secondary mechanics and dynamics.
To isolate issues within the game design it’s important to allow the game to function and perform with the minimal series of frameworks and supports. Therefore, consider removing mechanics and dynamics from to determine if the game is still playable. If it is, then determine if those mechanics and dynamics add a positive value to the player experience. Refer to your game’s documentation when necessary to also determine if these mechanics and dynamics fulfill the kind of player experience and learning outcomes you want your users to achieve.
Following this, it’s important to determine if mechanics and dynamics are balanced for the player experience. Determine if there are any strategic or tactical exploits that players can do or take that allows them to circumvent the designed player experience or learning outcomes. This is where stress testing and finding loopholes in games are paramount for ensuring that your game achieves its intended outcomes.
All of this doesn’t need to be accomplished in one or more playtests. Rather, playtest frequently with changes and with different player groups to determine your optimal outcomes. The iterative design process is one that requires many steps to be taken to create a meaningful and engaging player experience.
Applied Games
Ultimately, your game’s mechanics, aesthetics, and dynamics will serve the player experience. A successful serious game will also help students achieve their specific learning outcomes. Therefore, for applied games it’s important that you as the designer also pair your core dynamics with the contexts for what you want your learners to achieve.
It's not useful to create a highly engaging game that doesn’t meet your learning outcomes. But a highly engaging game is a good start. Afterwards it pays to align the different motivations that gets players playing and keeps them playing to meeting learning outcomes. There is no one way to achieve this; but an emphasis on its importance cannot be understated.
Some designers have taken “short cuts” to emphasize player engagement with feedback loops and rewards systems such as loot boxes which emphasize player “attachment” to the game; but overall do little to help players achieve specific outcomes. Therefore, it’s critical to think thoroughly about how you plan to make the different formal elements of your game including mechanics and dynamics work towards your advantage in educating your learners.
Takeaways
This article explored the design of the core dynamic in serious games. It started with an overview of the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (otherwise known as the MDA framework) in game design. It then went onto explain what game mechanics are and how they are created by designers and experienced by players.
Game mechanics were then compared to game dynamics and the relationships that they possess within the game. This lead to the definition of core dynamics in games and how they are created and situated within “levels” of gameplay.
Many different examples of core dynamics were shared and included racing, territorial acquisition, collection, prediction, building, destruction, spatial reasoning, trading, exploration, chasing/evading, survival, and movement. These dynamics engage players through goals, competition, skill, and primal instincts.
These different game dynamics were discussed as they are utilized in various genres and can be applied to learning and real-world scenarios for enhanced engagement. The design and development of which were covered in addition to how to playtest learning games overall with a specific focus on core dynamics for applied games and learning.
This article covered designing the core dynamics in games. To learn more about gamification, check out the free course on Gamification Explained.
Dave Eng, EdD
Principal
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Cite this Article
Eng, D. (2025, January 14). Designing the Core Dynamics. Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2025/1/14/designing-the-core-dynamics
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