One of the things I really enjoy is understanding theories and academic analysis behind behaviours. The cool thing with games is that there a ton of theory behind game design and play, and you’ve probably come across at least some of it for videogames but it applies for tabletop games too.

If you ask the average tabletop player, the average D&Der, ‘what’s the point’, ‘how do you win’, ‘how do you play’ - the answer will inevitably have something about having fun. The point is to have fun. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong. You gotta make sure everyone is having fun. 

And that’s a totally accurate statement. This whole website - and arguably every ttrpg channel and podcast - is about having fun. 

But even with this example, you can see that every single channel is different. So is every channel wrong? No - it means every channel is right. The challenge is that what’s fun for me may not be fun for you. What’s fun for my veteran player may not be fun for my other veteran player. So even though you are committed to having fun, which is a noble and righteous pursuit, it just may not land. What that means in the tabletop space is that if you’re a GM, you’ve designed encounters that don’t resonate with the players - or if you’re a player, you can’t seem to engage with what’s in front of you.

So that is the context - everyone wants to have fun, but everyone’s idea of fun is different. Now let’s understand the main theory we’re going to discuss. What we are talking about is called MDA (Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics). MDA is a formal approach to understanding what drives engagement and fun in games, developed by Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek and published in a paper in 2004. MDA attempts to bridge the gap between game design and development, game criticism, and technical game research by quantifying, basically, how people consume games and what kinds of fun they have. 

The eight types of fun are:

1. Sensation Game as sense-pleasure 

2. Fantasy Game as make-believe 

3. Narrative Game as drama 

4. Challenge Game as obstacle course 

5. Fellowship Game as social framework 

6. Discovery Game as uncharted territory 

7. Expression Game as self-discovery 

8. Submission Game as pastime 

In doing research for these videos, I found out that while people have explored and analyzed this framework in several capacities, it hasn’t really changed a whole lot. To me that means that, as a framework, it was probably comprehensive enough to have at  least some of the kind of nuanced discussions needed. There are criticisms out there about this framework though -  easily found on wikipedia - but this is just an interesting thing i wanted to share, not a doctoral submission so if you wanna go look at it, you should. 

So, a couple of things to note going into this: There are a lot of formal analyses out there, and I’ve read some of them, and now I’m going to try and articulate them in a way that I think is useful for tabletop GMs especially, but also players, whether you play DND, Call of Chthulu, Mothership… whatever. Another thing to remember is that basically everyone is a mix of multiple Types of fun seekers, maybe even a mix of all of them, and what you prioritize can change with your mood. And all games you play have different mixes of what they prioritize too. The other OTHER thing to understand is that most people are not familiar with this framework and so may not be able to articulate exactly why some things work for them and others don’t. They’ll just know what they like, and what they don’t. Further, this is not a checklist of do this, don’t do that - this is just a framework to give you some prescription and guidance on how to think about your games. And last but most importantly, none of these are any more or less valid than any others. There are only ones you are more of personally, that you prioritize at your tables, that your players seek, but this is all just stuff that ‘is’, it is not inherently good or bad. It is AT BEST more or less prioritized in specific games so you’ll get that itch scratched better.

1. Sensory Pleasure

Sensory Pleasure is the pleasure that you get from having your various senses engaged, specifically sight, hearing, and touch. You love seeing character art, ambient atmospheric music really amps up the immersive quality of the game, you love beautiful book design, interesting minis and terrain, maps, handouts, an artistic character sheet, even beautiful dice. If a pdf and online dice rollers just don’t work for you, you are probably fairly into sensory engagement and may be a sensory pleasure seeker. But like I said, people probably don’t know to be like “Oh I need my senses engaged in a tactile way” - no, they’ll just say something like, “I can’t do pdfs, I need the physical book.”

The other side of this is people who don’t care at all about sensory pleasure. These are your total theatre of the mind folks. They don’t need maps or minis or tokens. Not because they hate those things or anything, they just don’t feel like they add anything to the game. If they exist, they are a fun little vestige, but super not necessary.

I’m sort of in the middle. I generally don’t have sensory needs - I prefer pdfs to real books most times because they are more functional - I prefer online and digital character sheets because that is more functional too, but I’ve recently started really digging maps and tokens for combat. But again, that’s purely mechanical - I don’t need my maps to be much beyond just functional grids that show cover and blockages and I’m fine to use the default tokens. Meanwhile, I know people who pour hours into how their maps look and token making or mini painting and there is so much joy there. It’s awesome. But I always worry that my games will let those people down, so I make sure that when I use maps, I use good ones and not just a grid with squares like it’d be fine for me to use. 

So you see already, the core of what is considered fun is different. I’d say Call of Chtulhu is a very sensory pleasure game because it has tons of handouts and all kinds of things. I’d say older editions of D&D were too, because of the maps and minis used. I’d say most PBTA games are not - even the more ‘traditional’ settings like Dungeon World.

2. Fantasy

Fantasy is the joy you get from immersing yourself into an imaginary world and losing yourself there. Pretending to be someone you aren’t. Pure escapism. The fantasy seeker wants to feel like their character could be a real character in a world that could be real. Their character is so much more than abilities on a sheet. In fact, having things be too mechanized could break the illusion for the fantasy seeker. This one’s tricky in RPGs as opposed to videogames because taking on a character via RP is obviously a big part of the game. But if you are going into the game and making decisions with your character to flesh out their characterization rather than intending the move the game forward, fantasy may be more important to you than you think.

Fantasy seekers want the world to feel like a living, breathing thing. Anything that helps the world feel like an alternate reality helps. Having lots of little details at your fingertips is always helpful - having a list of NPC names handy or shop names or if they enter a town the day they are getting set up for a festival or parade. Basically, a world that exists outside of the characters that you can be a part of. Fantasy seekers are the ones in your game that look around shops or chat with locals at the local pub just to do those things, not with the intention of moving the plot forward. This might really make some other fun type seekers struggle so make sure you’re keeping it under control and not letting your fantasy seeker meander too far from the plot. Have detailed settings with rich history and folklore - easy peasy, I know -  to allow your fantasy seekers to really immerse themselves in the illusion. Knowing how magic spells look when they are cast is another story detail that will help. Those sorts of explanations make the game world feel real.

As an example of a game that presents a high fantasy element - The Sims.

3. Narrative

Narrative seekers take joy from experiencing a well-told story as it unfolds in front of them. This one gets tricky because it doesn’t necessarily mean they want to be a part of that story but they want to see the highs and lows and conflict and tension and redemption and all of these things that go into a great story. So a narrative seeker may be really happy playing a pregen in a published adventure because that adventure provides a story structure and conflict and usually a satisfying resolution. They may prefer linear story structures because that fits together tightly and neatly. This player would rather that the game ends in a TPK than if the campaign just fizzles out because at least that's an ending.

On the other hand, you have people who find linear story structure boring, or they are really not happy not being the protagonist, and they want to avoid death more than seek a sense of closure.

It is easy to imagine that a narrative seeker wants to TELL a story, but again - that’s not necessarily true. They want to participate, for sure, but not necessarily be the one driving it forward through expression.They might, but they night not. What is certain though is how they appreciate that everyone - PCs and NPCs - all have motivations to do what they’re doing. They appreciate goals and understanding the game’s direction. They value clear story arcs and emotional plots. In videogames, maybe they seek out the three-act story structure, but in tabletops, I really see if as being more about seeing clear elements of strong storytelling.

A great example of a game with a strong Narrative piece is the Final Fantasy 7 remake. Certainly Cloud is a big part of the story but arguably, it’s not Cloud’s story - the story itself is about Shinra and its executive’s hubris. 

4. Challenge

Challenge seekers want to test themselves and they want to win. The game is a series of obstacles for them to overcome, and if they fail, they want to know that their failure was fair and they’ll be able to try again and have a chance to do better. In RPGs, it’s easy to think this player will be satisfied with defeating combatants, but really it’s just anything that can be a goal that can be succeeded at - Investigations, puzzles, negotiations - all great challenges.

Challenge seekers get kind of shit on these days - they’re the min/maxers, the power gamers, the people ‘trying to win’. But like, this kind of fun is no less valid than the fantasy or narrative or sensory pleasure seekers. Remember, most people have a combination of several, and honestly, probably the best GMs and the best Players are a mix of all of them and know how to balance and enable different elements.  

Give a challenge seeker an obstacle and the tools to overcome it, and they will be happy. Even social interactions can be challenges if they’re trying to negotiate something or persuade someone of something, because remember Challenge is not the same as combat. Challenge just means that victory isn’t assured at the outset, there is a risk of loss, and the challenge seeker can make use of skills, choices, and decisions to get a win. Too much random chance with no ability to change the outcome will drive the Challenge seeker crazy. The Challenge seeker likes the freedom to engage with problems in different ways and wants to feel like every victory is earned. 

5. Fellowship

Fellowship seekers value the social interaction and cooperation at the table. We’ll be talking about player types later but casual players tend to prioritize this. At an extreme, the game kind of doesn’t matter as long as its a thing they are doing with friends, and they get to be a part of a team, and contribute meaningfully. Another way this can manifest is that the players and their dynamic is the thing that matters. If you have a group with one evil, backstabby character, that’s probably going to mess with this person’s sense of fun. It is challenging to separate that specific element of behaviour for them as something the character is doing, not something the player is doing. 

The Fellowship seeker will click with mechanics for inter-party cooperation and relationships like Links in the Shadowrun in the Sprawl PBTA hack. Bonds in Dungeon World. The Party system in Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3E.

6. Discovery

Discovery seekers like to explore and learn new things. They like to uncover things. They are your players who love lore and love being able to fill in a blank space on the map. They get joy out of understanding the history of the world, the background of important NPCs, the reason why things work. They just want to learn new things, and there is an element of conquest to it. It’s a secret waiting to be stumbled upon. They thrive on exploration, and when you introduce something new in your game - a new location or NPC or ritual or whatever - the discovery-seeker will likely have a ton of questions. To keep the discovery-seeker engaged, pepper your world with little stashes of secrets. A bit of lore here, an ancient text there, small treasures if only someone would look for it. And for extra points, make it feel missable - like something that has been overlooked till right this moment.

7. Expression

Expression-seekers find joy through being able to express themselves creatively and uniquely. They want to be able to put something out into the world that is a reflection of their ‘vibe’, which can be as deep as what they believe or it can be purely aesthetic. Whatever it is though, it is important that it feels wholly unique to them. You’ll see this in character backstories where they are not like the other kids growing up, they never fit in, they were moulded into this alternate version of ‘normal’. Ultimately, this person is trying to make something of their own. And beyond the character they create, it will resonate with them to either have created part of the world they are in or have their character impact the world. Be careful of how this interacts with the Fantasy Seeker though, because the thing that gives this person joy might hit at the verisimilitude the other player is seeking. 13th Age’s One Unique Thing is a great example of a mechanic that enables the Expression type of fun. 

This one requires the player to trust the space they are in and feel safe because expression and sharing creativity is not easy. It requires some amount of vulnerability. The act of creation is not easy and sharing it could open you up to all kinds of judgment and criticism. It is scary. It is risky. But when people find a place they can be creative without fear of judgment - that brings tremendous joy. 

8. Submission

Submission-seekers enjoy submitting to the thing and just being kind of mindless. It’s the pleasure you get from doing stuff you don’t have to think too hard about. Grinding mats in World of Warcraft.. Chopping wood in New World. Stardew Valley farming. That kind of thing. 

Submission doesn’t quite ‘fit’ with tabletops because even the simplest things take some amount of intention. But I saw a great reference in one of the analyses I read to a “beer and pretzel” game. That concept exists for a reason. Go into a dungeon, fight the baddies, get the treasure, go back to town. And then do it again next week, and the week after, and the week after..   It’s about as close to mindlessness as you can get in tabletops. It’s easy to confuse these folks with challenge seekers but the key difference is that they don’t want to be challenged. They just want to kick in the door and not think too much about it. These guys are much closer to fellowship-seekers. They want simple goals they can get with some laughs that they don’t have to work too hard for. Either a system that people know like the back of their hands, or anything that’s an easy casual session - like Oh Dang! Bigfoot stole my car with my friends’ birthday present inside. Or Kobolds ate my baby. 

—

So there you have it. The 8 types of fun you can have according to the MDA framework. Again, this is not a hard and fast thing - this is just a framework to talk about your games.

A lot of people seem to postulate that there is a ‘right’ way to enjoy games, but I hope that you’ve seen that there are multiple ways to enjoy games and people are a mix and no one way is objectively better than another. You, as a GM, can only ever make things more or less fun for different people by doing different things. 

So now you know the different ways people have fun. Okay. Now what? What do you do with this information? 

Well - broadly- Start to think about - Do any of the styles resonate particularly strongly with you? Do any of your preferences and habits reveal anything about which styles you value most? About which ones you could live without? 

 If you are a player, you’re going to figure out what resonates with you so you can talk to your GM about incorporating more or less of something.

The reality is, by the time you are at the point where you are thinking about types of fun in tabletops and trying to analyze yourself and your players, you’ve been running games for a while. And that means you’ve developed a “style.” A GMing Style is just a fancy way of saying “the Types of Fun you tend to emphasize in your games and how you do it.”

You’ve also probably figured out what makes your players real happy and coming back, which means they probably are having their types of fun met. So you probably don’t need to make any big sweeping changes. The framework we’ve discussed here is mostly useful for making smaller individual player-based decisions or answering questions that come your way, from your players or fellow GMs. It’s just a toolset to help think about the games you’re running and playing in. To help recognize the reasons you do things, or if you sense a player is becoming unhappy, you can try to figure out why.