Elemental tetrad

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The elemental tetrad is a conceptual framework used in game design, which consists of four interconnected elements: mechanics, aesthetics, stories, and technology.[1][2][3][4][5]

Description

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Mechanics describe the rules of the game, including how players interact, engage, and progress in it.[6]

Story is the sequence of events that unfolds in a game, and can be linear, non-linear, or even random.[5] This element is also sometimes referred to as the narrative to include broader story elements, such as the premise and characters of the game.[4]

Aesthetics define how the game is perceived by the player's senses. Aesthetics has the most direct relationship to the player’s experience and is present in almost all aspects of the game.

Technology refers to the medium that the game is played on, along with the advantages and disadvantages that the medium might bring. Compared to the other three elements, technology is the furthest removed from the player.

References

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  1. ^ "An introduction to the elemental tetrad". Simoose (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  2. ^ Antona, Margherita; Stephanidis, Constantine (2019-07-10). Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Theory, Methods and Tools: 13th International Conference, UAHCI 2019, Held as Part of the 21st HCI International Conference, HCII 2019, Orlando, FL, USA, July 26–31, 2019, Proceedings, Part I. Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-23560-4.
  3. ^ Korn, Oliver; Lee, Newton (2017-03-29). Game Dynamics: Best Practices in Procedural and Dynamic Game Content Generation. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-53088-8.
  4. ^ a b Bond, Jeremy Gibson (2017-08-17). Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development: From Concept to Playable Game with Unity and C#. Addison-Wesley Professional. ISBN 978-0-13-465988-6.
  5. ^ a b Schell, Jesse (2019). The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses (3rd ed.). CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-351-80364-9.
  6. ^ Ralph, David Paul; Monu, Kafui (2015-11-20). "Toward a Unified Theory of Digital Games". Computer Games Journal. 4 (1–2). doi:10.1007/s40869-015-0007-7.