Level 7 Introduction & Readings

LEVEL 7: KINDS OF FUN, KINDS OF PLAYERS

“Fun” is really just another word for “learning”. Putting players in a flow state is where this elusive “fun” comes from. In Level 7 we dig deeper into this concept to learn more about “fun,” digging into LeBlanc et al.’s “8 kinds of fun” and relating that back to flow theory and other things.

We currently have an idea of what is fun, but it would help to know why these things are fun. What if there are new kinds of fun waiting to be discovered?

Readings

• Natural Funativity Links to an external site., by Noah Falstein
  We’ve talked a lot about what is fun, and from the MDA Framework we know there are different kinds of fun. But why are these things fun in the first place, and not other things? Noah provides a useful theory.
  
  
• Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs Links to an external site., by Richard Bartle.
  If you’re too young to know what a MUD is, it is basically a precursor to today’s MMO. Replace the word “MUD” with “World of Warcraft” and it will still make perfect sense.
  
  
• You may also find it useful to review the MDA Framework Links to an external site., specifically the part that talks about the 8 kinds of fun.
  
  

Additional Resources

For additional readings on these topics, click HERE. It is a list of resources that is student generated and regularly updated.