As board game designers we are always trying to better understand how we think about games. One aspect that gets generalized is the idea of “fun.” What is fun for one person is very likely to be different than another. This is why it is so amazing when you find a game group with a mostly shared concept of fun.
In the 2004 paper titled MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research, the authors present a model for thinking about video games. In one portion of this, they define eight types of fun (shown below). On reading these, I immediately thought of board game design, and I can easily see how my creations can be bucketed into these.
It is important to note that the paper doesn’t propose that games fit into a single one of these; it’s actually the opposite. They suggest that games fit into many of these. I have added some sample games to each of the sections and definitions they provide, but I encourage you to read the paper and explore their reference material. It is very interesting.
The 8 types of fun
- Sensation
Game as sense-pleasure
Games like Jenga, Pie Face, and Charades. - Fantasy
Game as make-believe
Games like Gloomhaven, Root and Formula De. - Narrative
Game as drama
Games like Pandemic Legacy, Call to Adventure, and Tales of the Arabian Nights. - Challenge
Game as obstacle course
Games like Exit: The Game, Mouse Trap, and Kingdom Rush (the board game). - Fellowship
Game as social framework
Games like Codenames, Ultimate Werewolf, and Pokemon. - Discovery
Game as uncharted territory
Games like Dungeons & Dragons, Eclipse and Clash of Cultures. - Expression
Game as self-discovery
Games like Dixit, Spyfall, and Ransom Notes. - Submission
Game as pastime
Games like Warhammer, Magic the Gathering and Blood Bowl.
Seeing this list and considering how I create games is interesting to me. It makes me want to challenge myself to make games that use specific types of fun, especially those that I don’t normally think of.
