Learning Theories: Scaffolding in Games

Many elements from games can be directly linked to existing learning theories. For this post I want to focus on the theory of scaffolding and its gamification links in practice.

Scaffolding is a learning tool that teachers can put in place for learners to help them increase their learning potential and reach goals previously perceived as impossible. As its name suggests it is only intended to be a temporary measure to help a learner reach the next logical learning tier, and as such is designed to be removed as the learner progresses towards that goal.

Many games are already built with this structure in place. A player is taken on a journey of learning as they explore and experiment within the confines of the games rules. When a player is introduced to something new, be it a game, level or mechanic, they are given help in the form of tutorials, hints, and clues to help them master the new skill required to complete the game. These elements are all elements which can be added strategically when gamifying learning.

There are many examples of this out there but I would like to share a perpetually noteworthy example from the game Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo 2013) on the Nintendo Wii U. Koichi Hayashida (Co-Director of Super Mario 3D World) has developed a "level design philosophy" that allows for new mechanics to be introduced, learnt, and mastered by a player very quickly. He uses a 4 step approach which he says is inspired by a Japanese narrative structure called Kishōtenketsu, used in four line Japanese poems and four cell Japanese manga. First of all the mechanic or idea is introduced in a safe environment. Then it is developed by removing the safety net or support that was previously present. The idea or mechanic then adds a twist by either changing an aspect of the mechanic, the way its presented or by adding something else (usually collecting or another mechanic) and is then finished off with one last opportunity to show off player mastery of the new skill to conclude. 

Below is a brief step by step of this formula in action from the game Super Mario 3D World's Level Cakewalk Flip (Nintendo 2013).

Firstly the mechanic is introduced. In this case the panels flip every time Mario jumps. The player is immediately presented with these panels on screen when level starts. A small jump is set prior to reaching the panels to demonstrate how they work.

  

These first panels have a platform below them as a safety net. If the player falls when getting to grips with these panels they wont loose a life. This is a form of support for the player.

Then the mechanic is developed by first removing the safety net.

And then giving visual clues as to other ways the panels can be used. In this instance they are used to ascend an otherwise insurmountable wall, further establishing the concept in the players mind.

Then once the mechanic has been firmly established and developed, a twist is presented. In this situation the player has to negotiate the flip panels while jumping over the harmful blast wave from the bumper enemy in the centre. This bumper enemy was also established in the same way earlier in the level. The optional addition to this, if a player is feeling brave or wants to push themselves, is to grab the green star to add another mechanic, collecting green tokens positioned over the panels (not shown).

Finally the player is brought to the conclusion of the level where a final and safe "flag pole" sequence can be used to show of their mastery of the new mechanics and skills.

These steps allow Nintendo to introduce new ideas, have them mastered by the player and then throw them away in as little as 5 minuets, only to be brought back entire worlds later and have you easily pick them back up again.

 Similarly to how the story telling narrative has been adapted to fit level design, This style of level design can be transposed over to the classroom and used to help learners pick up and master new knowledge, concepts, and skills. I propose to use this style of scaffolding narrative creation to help learners and support them while studying the materials I produce. This means not only can my gamification project improve engagement and motivation but also potentially expand the range of learning to each individual student.

To see the full video on how Nintendo achieved this please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBmIkEvEBtA

References

Game Maker’s Toolkit (2015) Game maker’s Toolkit - super Mario 3D world's 4 step level design. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBmIkEvEBtA (Accessed: 13 December 2015).

Nintendo 2013, Super Mario 3D World, video game, Wii U, Nintendo, Japan.

Kapp, K. and Learning, G. of (2014) Gamification of learning. Available at: http://www.lynda.com/Higher-Education-tutorials/Gamification-Learning/173211-2.html (Accessed: 10 November 2015).


Instructional scaffolding to improve learning (no date) Available at: http://www.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/strategies/instructional_scaffolding_to_improve_learning.pdf (Accessed: 13 December 2015).

Kishōtenketsu (2015) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kish%C5%8Dtenketsu (Accessed: 13 December 2015).

Nutt, C. (2012) The structure of fun: Learning from super Mario 3D land ’s director. Available at: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/168460/the_structure_of_fun_learning_.php (Accessed: 13 December 2015).