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MPF Framework: An Aesthetic and Phenomenological Approach to Ludic Difficulty in Video Games

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Videogame Sciences and Arts (VJ 2019)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1164))

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Abstract

Challenge is an intrinsic part of play. From the academy it is presented as one of the basic elements of its language, as a set of obstacles that oppose the player’s advancement and, at the same time, as a motivator to achieve personal triumph. In this sense, the domination of the ludic system is related to the set of rules that make it up and the mechanics that give agency to the player. But challenge can also be shown differently, as an hermeneutic obstacle or ethical decisions, such as narrative puzzles, disempowerment fantasies or the feeling of vertigo. All these elements are fundamental pieces of the challenge in a broad sense and constitute the ludic difficulty aesthetics. This phenomenological study of video game addresses the question of ludic difficulty from personal perception and experience, that is, of every significant element for the construction of the game aesthetics. From this perspective, the ludic difficulty aesthetics consists of the rules system, the player’s performance, and the fictional elements that contextualize the gameplay. As a result, we present the aesthetic and phenomenological MPF framework for the analysis of ludic difficulty and challenge, which is divided into three different and interconnected patterns: mechanics, performance and fiction.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain

    Mateo Terrasa Torres

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  1. Mateo Terrasa Torres
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Correspondence to Mateo Terrasa Torres .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Nelson Zagalo

  2. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Ana Isabel Veloso

  3. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Liliana Costa

  4. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Óscar Mealha

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Torres, M.T. (2019). MPF Framework: An Aesthetic and Phenomenological Approach to Ludic Difficulty in Video Games. In: Zagalo, N., Veloso, A., Costa, L., Mealha, Ó. (eds) Videogame Sciences and Arts. VJ 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1164. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37983-4_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37983-4_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-37982-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-37983-4

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