Aesthetic experience and perceived interactional accessibility in award-winning video games: a mixed-methods study using MDA–DDE with gamers in Guayaquil, Ecuador

1 Introduction

The aesthetic experience is one of the fundamental pillars for understanding artistic and cultural expressions throughout history. Its significance lies in the fact that it helps explain how individuals perceive, interpret, and form emotional connections with the objects, phenomena, or symbolic systems that surround them. In this sense, aesthetics is not limited to the contemplation of beauty, but rather involves a complex process of interaction between perception, emotion, cognition, and meaning. As evidenced in the philosophical tradition, the aesthetic experience has been understood as a phenomenon that articulates sensory and intellectual dimensions, serving as a bridge between the subject and the reality that the subject interprets and reinterprets.

Since its origins in classical philosophy, as noted by Víctor Alvarado Dávila, professor of the philosophy of art (2004), and Nuria Galland, master's degree holder in art studies (2020), the aesthetic experience has been the subject of numerous interpretations. In Plato's thought, for example, aesthetics is linked to the idea of beauty as a manifestation of the intelligible world in the sensible world, transcending the notion of fleeting pleasure to occupy a deeper plane related to truth, virtue, and knowledge. This perspective posits that the aesthetic experience transcends the immediate, taking shape as a meaningful experience that involves physical, psychological, and social dimensions. For his part, Aristotle introduces the concept of catharsis, understanding the aesthetic experience as a process of emotional purification, in which the viewer undergoes an internal transformation through the work. This view adds a dynamic dimension to aesthetics, emphasizing its capacity to generate emotional impact and change in the subject.

In modern times, as described by Galera (2012), a professor of Hispanic Philosophy, Immanuel Kant explores the aesthetic experience by situating it at the intersection of sensibility and reason. For Kant, aesthetic judgment is grounded in an emotional response that arises from first impressions, but which also involves a reflective faculty that allows the individual to make judgments about beauty. This approach introduces a key duality between the subjective and the universal, establishing that the aesthetic experience, though individual, can aspire to a certain shared validity. In this way, aesthetics ceases to be merely a sensory experience and becomes a complex process involving instincts, emotions, and cognitive abilities.

Since the 20th and 21st centuries, various authors have expanded our understanding of the aesthetic experience through psychological, cognitive, and neuroaesthetic approaches. Research such as that by Sperling and Dosher (1986) highlights the role of sensory information processing and psychological concentration, while Cupchik et al. (2009) emphasize the importance of intentional perception—that is, the individual's ability to direct their attention and recognize an object as an aesthetic work. Along these same lines, Marković (2012) proposes that the aesthetic experience is characterized by a strong sense of unity between the subject and the object, integrating motivational, affective, and cognitive dimensions. Likewise, Schubert et al. (2016) introduce the concept of hedonic tone, understood as the mix of emotions that shape the aesthetic experience, while Riggle (2016) highlights the depth of what is conveyed as a central element of that experience. Finally, Peacocke (2023) incorporates the imaginative and expressive dimension, noting that the aesthetic experience involves a particular form of pleasure associated with the understanding and grasping of meaning.

Taken as a whole, these perspectives allow us to understand the aesthetic experience as a multidimensional phenomenon that involves perception, emotion, cognition, intention, and meaning. It is not merely a passive response to a stimulus, but rather an active process in which the subject constructs meaning through their interaction with the aesthetic object. This perspective is particularly relevant in the context of digital technologies, where forms of interaction have radically transformed the way in which works are produced and experienced.

From a human-factors perspective, player experience is shaped by the interaction between perceptual and attentional processes, prior gaming experience, cognitive and sensory capacities, and the characteristics of the game system itself. Contemporary human-computer interaction (HCI) research describes Player Experience (PX) as a multidimensional construct involving affective, perceptual, cognitive, and subjective responses, while recent studies show that previous gaming experience and the design of sensory stimuli can influence engagement, task understanding, and perceived difficulty (Markovitch et al., 2025; Nunes and Darin, 2024). Accordingly, aesthetic experience in video games should be understood as an emergent process resulting from the continuous interaction between player characteristics and game design.

In this context, video games emerge as one of the most complex contemporary media for the study of aesthetic experience. Unlike traditional arts, video games are not merely observed but interacted with, which implies active user participation in the construction of the experience. This characteristic makes them dynamic systems where aesthetics are not merely a visual or auditory quality, but an emergent experience resulting from the interaction between the player and the game system.

The MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics) framework, proposed by Hunicke et al. (2004), offers a structured approach to understanding this relationship. According to this model, video games are composed of mechanics (rules and systems), dynamics (emergent behaviors during gameplay), and aesthetics (the player's emotional responses). In this sense, aesthetics is understood as the final result of the interaction between the player and the system, and is fundamental to the generation of meaningful experiences. However, this approach has been criticized for focusing primarily on the emotional dimension, while neglecting other relevant aspects of the aesthetic experience, such as perception, intention, and interpretation.

In response to these limitations, Wolfgang Walk, Daniel Görlich, and Mark Barrett (2017) propose the DDE framework, which broadens our understanding of aesthetics in video games by integrating not only emotion but also the player's perception and experiential journey. From this perspective, the aesthetic experience is configured as a temporal process in which the player interacts with the game world, developing an intentional perception that allows them to construct meaning and establish a deep connection with the system. In this way, aesthetics is redefined as a holistic experience that combines emotion, perception, and interaction, aligning with contemporary theories of aesthetics that emphasize its multidimensional nature.

In current game studies, game accessibility generally refers to the design strategies, technologies, and features intended to reduce or remove barriers that may prevent people with physical, sensory, motor, or cognitive disabilities from perceiving, controlling, understanding, or progressing through a game. Recent research emphasizes that accessibility involves enabling a broader range of players to interact meaningfully with game systems through adaptations related to input, visual and auditory information, navigation, difficulty, communication, and assistive technologies (Agrimi et al., 2024; Hassan, 2024). Therefore, accessibility in this established sense is closely linked to inclusive design and should not be reduced to the general simplicity or ease of use of a game.

In the present study, perceived interactional accessibility is used in a narrower experiential sense to describe the player's subjective perception of how readily the gameplay experience can be entered, understood, and navigated through the clarity of mechanics, objectives, environmental guidance, and system feedback. This construct is not equivalent to usability, which concerns effective and satisfactory system use; to the learning curve, which refers to changes in performance or understanding through practice; or to cognitive load, which concerns the mental resources required by a task. Accordingly, perceived interactional accessibility is treated here as a cross-cutting interpretive category of Player Experience rather than as a measure of disability-oriented game accessibility.

Thus, video games can be understood as spaces where multiple aesthetic experiences converge—such as immersion, interactivity, and participation—which allow players not only to experience emotions but also to actively engage in shaping the experience. This ability to generate complex aesthetic experiences positions video games as a relevant field of study within contemporary research, especially regarding the analysis of how such experiences are designed, perceived, and evaluated. Consequently, this study is situated at the intersection of aesthetic theory and video game design, with the aim of analyzing how aesthetic experiences manifest in award-winning video games and how these are experienced by players. By integrating frameworks such as MDA and DDE, the study analyzes the elements that shape the architecture of the interactive experience, identifying those that contribute to the construction of meaningful aesthetic experiences in the contemporary digital context.

Despite the growing body of research on video game design and user experience, there remains limited integration between structural frameworks such as MDA and experience-centered models such as DDE, particularly in empirical studies involving real players. Furthermore, little attention has been paid to the link between aesthetic experiences and perceived interactional accessibility in video games, especially in Latin American contexts. This gap highlights the need to develop integrative analytical models that allow for an understanding of both the systemic and experiential aspects of gaming. In this regard, the present study aims to analyze how aesthetic experiences are shaped in award-winning video games and how these are perceived by mid-core and hard-core gamers in Guayaquil, Ecuador, using a hybrid model based on MDA–DDE.

2 Methodology

2.1 Methodological approach and research design

This study adopts a mixed-methods approach with a qualitative focus, supplemented by descriptive quantitative analysis to strengthen the interpretive validity of the results. This approach addresses the complexity of the phenomenon under analysis—the aesthetic experience in video games—which encompasses emotional, perceptual, cognitive, and interactive dimensions. Consequently, the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods allows us to capture both the subjective depth of experience and the identification of comparable patterns and trends across different player profiles.

The research design is exploratory-descriptive and cross-sectional, as it focuses on analyzing the gaming experience at a specific point in time, without longitudinal follow-up. This approach allows us to identify and characterize the aesthetic experiences present in the selected video games, as well as their relationship to users' perceived interactional accessibility.

2.2 Analytical framework: integration of the MDA and DDE frameworks

The study is based on the integration of two theoretical frameworks widely used in video game analysis: Mechanics–Dynamics–Aesthetics (MDA) and Design–Dynamics–Experience (DDE). The first (Hunicke et al., 2004) proposes that the video game experience is structured around the relationship between mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics, understood as the player's emotional response. However, this approach has limitations because it focuses on emotional dimensions.

For its part, the DDE framework broadens this perspective by integrating experience as a multidimensional process that includes sensory, emotional, and intellectual aspects, while also considering interaction as a dynamic journey over time (Walk et al., 2017). By integrating both approaches, a hybrid analytical model was constructed that allows for the examination of aesthetic experience from a holistic perspective, incorporating aspects such as player agency, immersion, sensory engagement, and emotional impact.

In order to operationalize the hybrid model (Figure 1) for empirical application, analytical dimensions and observable indicators were defined to link the conceptual foundations of the MDA and DDE frameworks with the evidence obtained during observation sessions, questionnaires, and expert interviews. Table 1 presents the operationalization used in the study. These dimensions were used both for the design of the instrument and for the coding of qualitative data and the interpretation of quantitative results.

Table 1. Operationalization of the MDA-DDE hybrid model.

Accordingly, perceived interactional accessibility was treated as a cross-cutting interpretive category rather than an independent dimension of the MDA–DDE hybrid model. The four primary dimensions remained player agency, immersion and role projection, sensory engagement, and emotional impact. Perceived interactional accessibility was examined through players' evaluations of clarity of mechanics, initial understanding, environmental guidance, system feedback, and perceived barriers to entering the gameplay experience.

2.3 Stages of the research

The research was structured into three sequential and intertwined phases that allowed for the integration of theoretical analysis with empirical examination and professional interpretation of the results. In the first phase, which was theoretical and documentary in nature, a comprehensive review of the specialized literature on aesthetic experience, video game studies, and the MDA and DDE frameworks was conducted, which allowed for the establishment of the study's conceptual foundations and the definition of analytical categories. In a second, empirical phase, non-participant observation sessions were conducted with mid-core and hard-core gamers in the city of Guayaquil, who interacted with the selected video games in a controlled environment, with their experiences recorded using structured instruments. Finally, in a third phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in video game design and development, with the aim of cross-checking and contextualizing the findings obtained in the empirical phase, as well as enriching their interpretation from a professional perspective.

2.4 Selection of video games

The video games were selected through intentional sampling based on their recognition at The Game Awards for 2023 and 2024 (The Game Awards, 2025), considered the leading international benchmark for excellence in the video game industry. In this regard, the selected video games were Astro Bot, Helldivers 2, Hi-Fi Rush, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, chosen for their diversity in mechanics, design styles, narrative approaches, and gameplay styles, which facilitated a meaningful comparison between different configurations of the aesthetic experience. These titles represent different ways of constructing the interactive experience, ranging from approaches focused on accessibility and exploration to others oriented toward challenge, cooperation, and sensory synchronization, allowing for an analysis of how the aesthetic experience manifests differently depending on the type of game.

The four selected titles also represent distinct interaction structures and gameplay configurations, which was relevant for comparing how aesthetic experience emerged across different design contexts. Astro Bot is primarily structured around platforming, exploration, progressive level design, the use of power-ups, environmental guidance, audiovisual feedback, and DualSense haptic interaction; these elements supported the analysis of agency, sensory engagement, and ease of entering the gameplay loop. Helldivers 2 is organized around cooperative third-person shooting, shared limited lives, dynamic difficulty, team coordination, role definition through equipment selection, and the use of stratagems, allowing the study to examine social interaction, collective risk, challenge, and emotional engagement. Hi-Fi Rush combines platforming and action combat with rhythm-based mechanics, audiovisual synchronization, tutorial guidance, environmental movement linked to music, and continuous musical feedback, making sensory engagement and interaction learning particularly relevant to the analysis. Finally, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom adopts an open-world structure centered on exploration, climbing, map use, environmental physics, resource management, combat, and abilities such as Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend and Recall, providing a context in which player agency, experimentation, problem solving, and flow could be examined.

2.5 Study population and sample

The study population consisted of adult video game players from Guayaquil, Ecuador, recruited through non-probability convenience sampling. The final sample comprised 31 participants aged between 18 and 31 years (M = 20.52, SD = 2.94), of whom 26 were male (83.9%) and five were female (16.1%). During recruitment, participants self-classified as either mid-core or hard-core gamers according to predefined descriptions provided by the research team. Mid-core gamers were defined as players who regularly enjoy playing complex video games, whereas hard-core gamers were defined as dedicated players who demonstrate substantial mastery of game mechanics, engage competitively, and explore game systems in depth. Based on this classification, 18 participants (58.1%) identified as mid-core gamers and 13 (41.9%) as hard-core gamers. These categories were used as recruitment and player-profile criteria rather than as psychometric classifications. Gaming frequency in terms of hours or days played per week was not collected as an independent quantitative variable and is therefore not reported.

The 31 participants did not necessarily evaluate all four video games. Instead, partially overlapping game-specific subsamples participated in the supervised gameplay sessions: 19 players evaluated Astro Bot, 19 evaluated Helldivers 2, 17 evaluated Hi-Fi Rush, and 11 evaluated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Accordingly, quantitative findings were calculated using the corresponding game-specific sample as the denominator rather than the overall sample of 31 participants. This sampling structure was consistent with the exploratory nature of the study and allowed the analysis to focus on experienced players capable of providing informed assessments of game mechanics, interaction, sensory feedback, immersion, and emotional responses. Table 2 summarizes the demographic characteristics of the player sample.

Table 2. Demographic characteristics of the player sample.

2.6 Data collection techniques

Data collection was conducted through supervised non-participant gameplay observation followed by game-specific structured assessment questionnaires. The gameplay protocol was designed to provide participants with an initial but sufficiently sustained interaction with the core mechanics of each title. In Astro Bot, participants played Level 1 for approximately 30 min; in Hi-Fi Rush, they completed the tutorial and interacted with Level 1 during an approximately 30-minute session; in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, participants played the initial level and Mission 1 for approximately 30 min; and in Helldivers 2, participants completed Mission 1 across three matches, resulting in an approximate exposure time of 45 min. After each supervised gameplay session, participants completed the corresponding game-specific assessment instrument.

Observation focused on interactional and experiential elements associated with the four dimensions of the MDA–DDE hybrid model. In Astro Bot, attention was paid to movement, platforming, exploration, environmental guidance, power-up use, interface elements, audiovisual feedback, and haptic interaction. In Helldivers 2, observation emphasized cooperative interaction, shared lives, team coordination, equipment and stratagem use, adaptive challenge, and mission-related decision making. In Hi-Fi Rush, attention centered on tutorial comprehension, rhythm-based movement and combat, audiovisual synchronization, environmental feedback, and musical interaction. In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, observation focused on open-world exploration, climbing, map use, environmental physics, resource management, special abilities, and player-directed problem solving. These criteria allowed the same analytical dimensions to be examined across titles with substantially different gameplay structures.

In addition, the study included semi-structured interviews with four international experts in video game design and development: Ángel Zurita (Spain), Daniel González (Spain), Marco González (Chile), and Vicente Contreras (Mexico), who were selected based on their experience in designing game mechanics and dynamics. These interviews allowed us to compare the empirical findings with a professional perspective, enriching the interpretation of the results.

2.7 Tools and data analysis

The assessment instruments consisted of game-specific structured question banks organized according to four analytical dimensions derived from the integration of the MDA and DDE frameworks: player agency, immersion and role projection, sensory engagement, and emotional impact. The instruments combined closed-ended dichotomous and categorical questions with open-ended questions addressing mechanics, exploration, narrative, interface design, audiovisual and haptic feedback, challenge, immersion, and emotional responses. Because the selected games differ substantially in their mechanics and interaction structures, individual questions were adapted to each title while preserving the same four overarching analytical dimensions. Quantitative responses were analyzed descriptively using absolute frequencies and percentages calculated according to each game-specific sample. No inferential statistical comparisons among games were performed because the study was exploratory and the game-specific samples were partially overlapping.

The open-ended responses obtained from the questionnaires, as well as the information gathered during the semi-structured interviews with experts, were analyzed using an axial coding process. This procedure was carried out in three stages: identification of units of meaning, grouping of responses into thematic categories, and linking those categories to the analytical dimensions defined in the MDA–DDE hybrid model. Through this process, recurring patterns were identified related to player agency, immersion and role projection, sensory engagement, emotional impact, and perceived interactional accessibility. The emerging categories were subsequently compared with the dimensions defined in the hybrid MDA–DDE model, allowing the empirical findings to be linked to the study's theoretical constructs. The use of axial coding made it possible to establish relationships between the qualitative findings and the quantitative results, strengthening the interpretation of the data and the consistency of the analysis.

In addition, a methodological triangulation process was applied that integrated information obtained through observation, assessment tools, and interviews with experts, thereby strengthening the study's validity. Although the sample size is limited, it is considered adequate for an exploratory analysis within a mixed-methods design. Because the game-specific instruments were not designed as psychometric Likert scales composed of interchangeable items measuring latent constructs, internal-consistency coefficients such as Cronbach's alpha were not considered appropriate reliability statistics. Methodological consistency was instead supported by the application of the same four analytical dimensions across all games and by triangulation among observational data, player responses, and expert interviews.

3 Results

3.1 Integration of the MDA and DDE frameworks: toward a hybrid analytical model

The comparative analysis of the MDA and DDE frameworks enabled the development of a hybrid analytical model aimed at understanding the aesthetic experience in video games from a broader and more integrated perspective. While the MDA model (Hunicke et al., 2004) establishes a structural relationship between the system's rules (mechanics), its emergent behavior (dynamics), and the player's emotional responses (aesthetics), the DDE model (Walk et al., 2017) introduces a more complex experiential dimension by considering interaction as a process that involves not only emotion but also the player's sensory perception and cognitive processing.

By integrating these two approaches, four operational dimensions were identified: (1) player agency in relation to the system's mechanics; (2) immersion and role projection within the game world; (3) sensory engagement generated through audiovisual, tactile, and interactive feedback; and (4) emotional impact resulting from continuous interaction with the game system.

In this regard, the proposed hybrid model goes beyond the traditional view of MDA—which tends to reduce aesthetics to a taxonomy of emotions—by incorporating insights from DDE, where experience is understood as a dynamic journey that integrates the sensory, emotional, and intellectual dimensions. This approach allowed us to identify that aesthetics in video games is not a final result, but rather a process in constant construction, shaped by the player's interaction with the system, their level of prior experience, and their capacity for interpretation.

Furthermore, the analysis showed that perceived interactional accessibility is closely linked to the design of these aesthetic experiences. In particular, it was observed that experiences with less narrative content or more intuitive mechanics tend to be perceived as more accessible, while those with greater mechanical or cognitive complexity demand a higher level of engagement from the player. Within the restricted interactional definition adopted in this study, these findings suggest that perceived ease of entering and understanding the gameplay experience may be influenced by design characteristics such as mechanical clarity, interaction complexity, and system feedback.

Taken together, the integration of the MDA and DDE frameworks made it possible to construct a more robust and adaptable analytical model, capable of capturing the complexity of the aesthetic experience in contemporary video games and serving as the basis for the empirical analysis developed in the following sections. Table 3 summarizes the conceptual integration between the MDA and DDE frameworks, enabling the operationalization of a hybrid analytical model that articulates the structural, experiential, and perceptual dimensions of the aesthetic experience in video games.

Table 3. Integration of MDA and DDE into the four-dimensional hybrid analytical model.

3.2 Results of the observation of gamers by video game

The results of the empirical phase, based on non-participant observation and the administration of assessment tools to 31 mid-core and hard-core gamers, show descriptive variations in the way aesthetic experience was reported across the four video games analyzed.

In the case of Astro Bot, 84% (n = 16/19) of participants reported that the limited narrative emphasis facilitated their initial entry into the gameplay experience, allowing more direct engagement with the game mechanics. This finding suggests that the dimension of player agency is strengthened when interpretive demands decrease, facilitating understanding of the objectives and reducing the initial demands associated with understanding the system. From the perspective of the MDA–DDE hybrid model, perceived interactional accessibility emerges as a consequence of the relationship between intuitive mechanics and a user experience centered on exploration and discovery. In this sense, the aesthetic experience is constructed primarily through interaction and sensory engagement, rather than through complex narrative processes.

Meanwhile, in Helldivers 2, the analysis showed that 84% (n = 16/19) of participants rated the shared limited-lives system positively, while 74% (n = 14/19) associated the gameplay experience with cooperative dynamics. These descriptive findings suggest that the aesthetic experience in Helldivers 2 was shaped by social interaction and by the sense of collective responsibility generated through the game mechanics. The sense of immersion and role projection is strengthened by the need to coordinate actions with other players, while the emotional impact arises from the constant tension between the risk of failure and shared achievement. Within the hybrid model, cooperative dynamics act as mediators between the game mechanics and the emotional experience, contributing to engagement and participation.

In Hi-Fi Rush, the results showed greater diversity in how the experience was perceived. Fifty-nine percent (n = 10/17) of participants expressed dissatisfaction with the tutorial system, citing difficulties in initially understanding certain mechanics. However, 88% (n = 15/17) indicated that musical feedback is an essential element of the gaming experience. This contrast suggests that perceived interactional accessibility and aesthetic experience do not depend exclusively on the sensory qualities of the video game, but also on the clarity with which players understand its interaction systems. Within the hybrid model, sensory engagement appeared as a particularly prominent dimension, as the synchronization between music and action structures much of the experience. Nevertheless, the difficulties reported with the tutorial suggest that an effective audiovisual experience can be limited when learning processes do not adequately guide the player during their initial interactions with the system.

Finally, in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, 45% (n = 5/11) of participants reported interruptions in gameplay flow, primarily related to exploration and climbing activities. Despite this, 73% (n = 8/11) expressed positive emotions associated with feelings of satisfaction, discovery, and accomplishment. These results suggest that the presence of obstacles or moments of frustration does not necessarily diminish the overall evaluation of the experience, but rather can contribute to the construction of a more complex and meaningful aesthetic experience. From the hybrid model's perspective, the dimension of emotional impact manifests in the coexistence of positive and negative emotions that enrich the interactive experience. Similarly, the findings are consistent with a greater role for player agency through the resolution of challenges that require constant exploration, experimentation, and decision-making.

In general terms, the results show that each video game shapes the aesthetic experience in a distinct way, depending on the relationship between its mechanics, dynamics, and sensory elements (Table 4). Furthermore, the findings provide preliminary support for the analytical usefulness of the dimensions proposed in the hybrid model.

Table 4. Summary of findings by video game.

3.3 Results of the expert interviews

Interviews with experts Ángel Zurita (Spain), Daniel González (Spain), Marco González (Chile), and Vicente Contreras (Mexico) helped to supplement and contextualize the findings from the empirical phase, providing a professional perspective on the design of aesthetic experiences in video games.

First, the experts agreed that aesthetics in video games should not be understood solely as a visual component, but rather as a holistic experience that emerges from the interaction between the player and the system. In this regard, they highlighted the importance of designing mechanics that are not only functional but also generate emotional and cognitive responses consistent with the game's intent. Likewise, the experts emphasized the importance of facilitating players' engagement with game systems while balancing ease of entry and experiential depth. In this context, the experts noted that striking a balance between accessibility and depth is one of the main challenges of design, as it involves maintaining the interest of advanced players without excluding less experienced ones.

Based on the empirical findings regarding gamers, the experts emphasized the importance of elements such as sensory feedback, clarity of mechanics, and system coherence as key factors in shaping the aesthetic experience. In particular, they agreed that music, interface design, and system responsiveness play a fundamental role in the player's perception. On the other hand, it was noted that the evolution of video games has led to a transformation in how the aesthetic experience is conceived, shifting from an approach centered on fun to a more complex one that includes emotional, social, and cognitive aspects. In this regard, the experts pointed out that frameworks such as MDA and DDE are useful as analytical tools, but that they must be adapted and supplemented according to the design context.

Ultimately, the interviews revealed a convergence between the players' experiences and the experts' perspectives, which provides additional qualitative support for the interpretive coherence of the proposed analytical model. The integration of theory, empirical evidence, and professional knowledge enables the establishment of more robust criteria for the design of interactive experiences, particularly in emerging contexts such as video game development in Latin America.

4 Discussion

The results of this study provide a deeper understanding of the aesthetic experience in video games through the integration of the MDA and DDE frameworks, as well as empirical evidence obtained through player observation and qualitative contextualization through expert interviews. In this regard, the findings suggest that the aesthetic experience cannot be understood as a one-dimensional phenomenon, but rather as a complex, dynamic, and emergent construct that articulates emotional, sensory, cognitive, and interactive dimensions.

First, the development of a hybrid analytical model based on the integration of MDA and DDE reveals a substantial conceptual convergence between the two approaches, but also highlights their individual limitations. While the MDA framework provides a clear structure for understanding the relationship between mechanics, dynamics, and emotional responses, its approach is limited in that it prioritizes the affective dimension over other dimensions of experience. In contrast, the DDE framework broadens this perspective by incorporating experience as a process that integrates the sensory, emotional, and cognitive, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. These results align with previous research highlighting the multidimensional nature of the player's experience, in which interaction not only generates emotions but also processes of interpretation and meaning making.

Unlike traditional models that focus exclusively on the user's emotional response, this study highlights the role of perception and cognition as fundamental elements in shaping the aesthetic experience. In this regard, the results align with contemporary approaches to human-computer interaction that prioritize the user experience as a holistic process, where understanding of the system, clarity of mechanics, and design coherence directly influence the player's perception. This allows us to understand aesthetics not as an outcome of design, but as a dynamic process that is constructed throughout the interaction.

With regard to the empirical results, it is observed that the aesthetic experience showed descriptive variation according to the characteristics of each video game, suggesting that meaningful aesthetic experiences may emerge through different design configurations. In the case of Astro Bot, the high perception of accessibility associated with narrative simplicity suggests that reducing initial interpretive demands may facilitate player agency and entry into the game system. Within this sample, the result suggests that narrative simplicity did not prevent meaningful engagement and may have facilitated initial interaction with the game.

The findings from Helldivers 2 suggest that the aesthetic experience can be shaped by social and cooperative dynamics, where the challenge arises not only from the system itself but also from the interaction between players. The positive reception of the shared-lives system suggests that collective risk may contribute to emotional engagement and perceived immersion. This finding highlights the relevance of the social dimension when interpreting aesthetic experience in cooperative games.

In the case of Hi-Fi Rush, the emphasis placed on musical feedback underscores the central role of the sensory component in shaping the aesthetic experience. The synchronization between sound and action not only contributes to immersion but also structures the player's interaction with the system, making rhythm both a mechanical and an aesthetic element. However, the difficulties reported in the tutorial show that a solid sensory experience alone does not necessarily ensure ease of initial engagement, highlighting the importance of coherence between design, mechanics, and learning processes.

For its part, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers a more complex and ambivalent experience, in which positive and negative emotions coexist. The interruptions in gameplay flow reported by participants suggest that difficulty may affect the continuity of the experience, though not necessarily its overall evaluation. This finding is consistent with the idea that the aesthetic experience in video games is not limited to generating pleasure but rather includes a wide range of emotions that contribute to the richness of the experience.

Collectively, these descriptive findings suggest that perceived interactional accessibility may be influenced by the interplay among mechanics, design clarity, cognitive demands, system feedback, and sensory characteristics. Within the restricted definition adopted in this study, perceived interactional accessibility is therefore interpreted as a player-centered appraisal of ease of engagement rather than as a substitute for disability-oriented game accessibility.

Interviews with experts reinforce this interpretation, as they agree that aesthetics in video games should be conceived as a holistic experience that transcends the visual. The experts emphasize the importance of designing systems that balance accessibility and depth, which aligns with the empirical findings from the various video games analyzed. This convergence provides additional qualitative support for the interpretive coherence of the proposed analytical model.

The findings may also provide a starting point for examining game-design experiences in underrepresented Latin American research contexts; however, the present results should not be generalized beyond the local sample studied. Identifying key aesthetic dimensions and their relationship to perceived interactional accessibility may provide design criteria for examining how players enter, understand, and engage with interactive experiences. In this sense, the analysis of award-winning video games should not be understood as an exercise in replication, but rather as an opportunity to identify design principles that can be applied to local contexts.

4.1 Limitations

Several considerations should be taken into account when interpreting the findings of this study. The research was designed as an exploratory mixed-methods investigation involving 31 mid-core and hard-core players from Guayaquil, Ecuador, recruited through non-probability convenience sampling. The findings should therefore be interpreted within the characteristics of this specific sample and may not be directly generalizable to broader gaming populations or other cultural contexts. The predominance of male participants and the exclusion of casual players also delimit the range of player profiles represented. In addition, participants were not recruited according to disability status; consequently, the results concerning perceived interactional accessibility should be understood as player-centered perceptions of ease of engagement rather than as evidence of formal game accessibility for players with physical, sensory, motor, or cognitive disabilities.

The empirical design was intended to capture initial and short-term responses to distinct gameplay configurations rather than longitudinal changes in engagement or mastery. Because the selected titles differ in genre, interaction structure, pacing, and degree of openness, and because the game-specific subsamples were partially overlapping rather than identical, the study emphasizes within-title descriptive interpretation rather than direct inferential comparison between games. The gameplay sessions, lasting approximately 30–45 min, provided controlled exposure to core mechanics and interaction patterns, while the assessment instruments were adapted to the specific characteristics of each title under the same four MDA–DDE analytical dimensions. Accordingly, the quantitative findings should be interpreted as descriptive evidence supporting the exploratory analytical model rather than as psychometric or population-level estimates.

5 Conclusions

This study examined how aesthetic experience is configured and perceived in award-winning video games through the integration of the MDA and DDE frameworks and their empirical application with mid-core and hard-core players from Guayaquil, Ecuador. The findings suggest that aesthetic experience in video games should not be understood solely as a final emotional response, but rather as an emergent process shaped by the interaction among mechanics, gameplay dynamics, sensory perception, player decision-making, immersion, and affective responses. In this sense, the proposed hybrid model operationalizes four main dimensions: player agency, immersion and role projection, sensory engagement, and emotional impact.

The analysis of the four selected titles revealed differentiated configurations of these dimensions. In Astro Bot, mechanical clarity and reduced narrative dependence facilitated initial engagement with the gameplay experience; in Helldivers 2, cooperation, shared risk, and coordination among players played a central role in shaping the experience; in Hi-Fi Rush, audiovisual and musical synchronization emerged as a key sensory component, although the tutorial generated initial interactional friction; and in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, freedom of exploration, problem solving, and experimentation coexisted with interruptions in flow and predominantly positive emotional responses. Taken together, these findings indicate that meaningful aesthetic experiences can emerge through different combinations of mechanics, design, interaction, and sensory feedback.

One of the main conceptual contributions of the study is the incorporation of perceived interactional accessibility as a cross-cutting interpretive category. This concept is not intended to replace or broaden the established notion of game accessibility related to removing barriers for players with physical, sensory, motor, or cognitive disabilities. Rather, it refers specifically to the player's subjective appraisal of how readily the gameplay experience can be entered, understood, and navigated through the clarity of mechanics, objectives, environmental guidance, and system feedback. Its inclusion enables a more precise connection between design characteristics and the player's subjective experience within the MDA–DDE framework.

Finally, the study contributes an exploratory analytical proposal that links design structure, interaction, and player experience, providing an integrated perspective for examining aesthetic experience in video games through the hybrid MDA–DDE model. The findings should be interpreted within the characteristics of the specific sample, geographic context, and methodological design employed; nevertheless, they provide descriptive evidence regarding the analytical usefulness of the four proposed dimensions and the cross-cutting role of perceived interactional accessibility. The principal contribution of the study therefore lies in offering a conceptual and methodological framework for examining how design decisions and interaction characteristics relate to the player's aesthetic experience.

6 Future directions

Future research should examine the hybrid MDA–DDE model using larger and more heterogeneous samples that include casual, mid-core, and hard-core players, as well as participants from different cultural and geographical contexts. It would also be valuable to apply the model to additional game genres and interaction structures, develop a standardized instrument for comparatively assessing its dimensions, and conduct longitudinal studies to examine how aesthetic experience evolves as players gain familiarity with and mastery of game mechanics. In addition, future studies should address game accessibility more directly by involving players with physical, sensory, motor, or cognitive disabilities and by applying established game-accessibility frameworks, thereby enabling empirical examination of the relationships and distinctions between the perceived interactional accessibility proposed in this study and accessibility focused on removing barriers to interaction.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declared that generative AI was not used in the creation of this manuscript.

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Footnotes

Edited by: Niko Männikkö, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Finland

Reviewed by: Eva Villegas, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain

Matahari Bhakti Nendya, Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana Fakultas Teknologi Informasi, Indonesia