Game Levels and Scaffolding–They’re Related

Mission-based levels serve several purposes within the design of a game. One purpose is to keep the game space manageable.

Early level…simple and easy…but wait, it gets harder.

Developing a game in which a player wanders through one vast level accomplishing hundreds of objectives and interacting with dozens of non-player characters is a daunting programming task and is intimidating for the player.

Additionally, attempting to weave a coherent storyline into a game play environment where a player can go where ever they want in any order they choose can be difficult.

To overcome these problems, game developers add levels to games. In each level the player accomplishes a small set of goals and, when completed, moves on to the next level. A well designed progression of levels accomplishes two goals. One is that each level helps the story narrative progress. The player learns new information or insights at each level which keeps them engaged as part of the story unfolds in each level. By unveiling a little bit of the narrative at each level, the player feels compelled to move from one level to the next to find out what will happen and how the narrative will end.

The second is that skills are built and reinforced at each level. At the earliest level of the game, players are taught basic skills such as how to navigate, what elements in the game world are movable or important and how to use any weapons, special abilities or powerups. In the early levels, as the players learn about the game world, they typically learn one skill at a time as they move through a level. Also, some levels may simply be a chance to practice a new skill so no new information or skills is introduced.

Then, as the player progresses and the levels become more difficult, players are now required to recall and use skills learned in previous levels to advance. Only, at this point, the players usually have to perform the skills more quickly or under greater pressure to make the application of the skill more challenging. Toward the end of the game, players typically must combine skills learned from previous levels in unique combinations to win the game.

The progression of learning that occurs over time during the game is similar to the educational technique of “scaffolding” which builds on the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development introduced by Soviet psychologist and constructivist Lev Vygotsky.

Vygotsky, speaking of how children learned, stated that the Zone of Proximal Development “is the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers.” (Source Wikipedia: Zone of Proximal Development and “Learning and Instruction:Theory into Practice”, 3rd Edition by Margaret E. Gredler)

Visualization of the Zone of Proximal Development

In other words, a child tries to solve problems given minimal experience space and lots of adult supervision, as the child becomes more adept at solving the problems, the adult provides less and less guidance until the child is independently solving problems.

To accomplish that goal the technique of scaffolding was develop. Scaffolding is process of controlling the task elements that initially are beyond the learner’s capacity, so that the learner can concentrate on and complete elements within his or her immediate capability. Once that task is accomplished, the learner is then lead to accomplish another goal which builds upon the previous. Scaffolding provides support, functions as a learning tool, extends the range of the learner and permits the accomplishment of tasks not otherwise possible.

The technique of scaffolding and the use of levels in games provide educational advantages that should be designed into the e-learning we develop.