Designing games that prioritize meaning over fun

Abstract

A majority of contemporary game design is focused on developing a hedonistic loop, a frictionless aesthetic that hinges on familiarity and comfort to promote states of flow and player satisfaction. Not disregarding the advantages of designing for the hedonistic loop, this paper questions it and develops a critique that advocates for a focus on aesthetic friction, a shift of the play experience from the prioritisation of fun to the creation of contexts for the construction of meaning.