What is Player Scaffolding?
What is Player Scaffolding?
What is Player Scaffolding?
Many people can just jump right into games. They take one look at it and they already “get it” and know how to play; whereas other people need a little bit of help. Sometimes this comes in the form in instruction; teaching; or learning from other players.
When learning anything new, people most likely learn basic information first before attempting to implement it and then trying something more advanced. When this is implemented in a learning environment or though games-based learning we call this scaffolding.
But what is “scaffolding” really? How do we use it? How are they included in games and games-based learning?
This article will review scaffolding in both an educational and games-based context. Uses of scaffolding will be discussed as well as how it affects and influences individuals’ learning and metacognition. Like many things games-based learning related; scaffolding relates highly to the learner and player experience. So time will be spent relating scaffolding to the experiences of the individuals learning and playing.
Applied scaffolding in games will be covered a well as how it can be implemented in applications of games-based learning. Finally, this article closes on how to use scaffolding in practice as well as common challenges with scaffolding.
What is Scaffolding?
If you’ve heard of scaffolding before; then you are probably familiar with it in an educational context. In education, scaffolding refers to the different and varied instructional techniques used to help learners move towards greater understanding; but also great independence in learning. This means that when learners are properly scaffolded, they are not only able to better succeed at learning; but become largely independent in the process without having to rely on an instructor.
Structurally, scaffolding is most closely related to building and architecture. Physical scaffolding allows builders to access new heights and areas of the construction site that they would not have been able to access on their own. Likewise, educational scaffolding helps learners achieve and learn new things that they might have not have been able to do on their own.
One of the most common models of scaffolding comes from the instructor through demonstration. This process shows the learner the actual steps necessary for accomplishing something that they will need to do independently on their own.
This is also closely related to games, game play, and video games. In video games, scaffolding exists when challenges are present for the player to surmount. Often, early in game play, the game will help guide, direct, and scaffold the player so that they can act independently later on in the game without help from the game itself.
This is where video games provide foundational scaffolding to help players build and establish basic and core competencies through the core loop of game play in order to learn enough to be effective in the game. Just like in education, this scaffolding doesn’t exist forever. Rather, it comes away as the game progresses and it is no longer necessary. The results of which help players and learners alike construct, develop, and retain their own knowledge experientially through game play.
Scaffolding is very similar to an instructional strategy known as differentiation, where instructors change or vary their instructional techniques and approaches in order to adapt to a diverse group of students with different learning needs. While scaffolding and differentiation are different; they do include some similar properties such as differences in how instructors and games apply and supports learners’ and players’ experiences through different activities; hints; and other supports.
Why Use Scaffolding?
Of course scaffolding can help individuals; but why go through the challenges and hurdles of using it? From a learner and player standpoint; scaffolding helps reduce the negative emotions and self-perceptions when individuals become frustrated or intimidated through learning or game play. In this way; scaffolding makes it easier for the end user (whether that be student or player) to learn and play the game.
Ultimately scaffolding doesn’t replace the player experience. Rather, scaffolding is meant as a temporary structure to help them attain mastery through different and smaller competencies. Scaffolding applied in his way creates a supportive environment in which individuals aren’t just more likely to succeed; but succeed in a way that makes them want to pursue more.
Lev Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory of cognitive development frames scaffolding as a learning framework that helps bridge the gap between prior learned knowledge and current goals. This is often accomplished through learning game design by breaking down larger challenges and competencies into smaller and more achievable goals that are reflective of the player journey. Through more formal educational environments, this takes place with instructor or peer intervention.
The most challenging applications of scaffolding put the learner into the flow state where they are performing at the very peak of their abilities and must constantly re-engage; shift; and focus on their actions in order to keep performing at the peak of their capabilities.
Video games do this most frequently in which player experiences are closely scaffolded in order to best support the player in their journey. This is done in order to reinforce their core competencies that they’ve built in this game (and in previous games) in order to continue succeeding and playing.
This is because game developers know that they will have a successful title if their players can be enabled to engage and enjoy the game. Dissimilarly, educational environments can be much less reactive. That is where instructors and peers must make careful observations in order to determine the type and degree of scaffolding needed in order to help individuals succeed.
Learning & Metacognition
Formal learning environments are where instructors have the most latitude and leeway in determining the type; schedule; and application of scaffolding. That is because instructors must act in the interest of the learners’ zone of proximal development. This is where the learners can most actively develop; engage; and succeed when challenged with new obstacles.
The application of such scaffolding in the support of these learners’ goals help them construct their own meaning and interpretation of their experiences. Such activities also form and support the experiential learning cycle in which constructivism plays a significant role in games-based learning.
Like a traditional educational environment, scaffolding must be eventually removed in order for the student to experience both competency and autonomy while playing and learning. Instructors in traditional classrooms can do this proactively through strategic scaffolding in order to help learners navigate road blocks and through metacognitive scaffolding and through self-reflective moments.
It is also important to note that too much scaffolding and providing too much help can also exhibit negative effects on learning. Rather, it’s more important to internalize and relate game and learning content as it connects and is relevant to their own lives and experiences. Such metacognitive activities further rely on constructivism in the learning and playing process through which meaning is created in game-play.
This meaning making process often relies on greater cognitive effort from the learner. The results of which are a closer and accurate calibration of what a learner “thinks” they’ve learned compared to what they have actually learned. While no measurement is completely exact; pursuing consistency in this metacognitive process of learner enablement is critical for more effective learning.
Such effective learning comes at the implementation of well crafted and curated scaffolding models which have shown to boost motivation for learning while also enhancing player performance.
Learner and Player Experience
Of course, at the center of any scaffolding activity is the learner or player themselves. Scaffolding for any game or classroom activity is going to look different based on these players; learners; the activity; the game; and the learning outcomes.
Some of the scaffolds that an instructor includes could be based on conceptual ideas that help learners succeed or other forms of information that help them identify the critical and consequential elements of the game. Otherwise; scaffolding could be based on procedures such as turn order or turn resolution for table top games.
In addition; instructors and designers should note that adding scaffolding to a game could even negatively impact the player experience. This could come from a multitude of different reasons and includes condescension to individuals and players. Because of this; is important to understand and cater to the displayed competencies of players and learners before implementing and assisting them with scaffolded activities.
Nevertheless, when applied correctly, scaffolding can remain a positive impact for the player or the learner in order to help them master the competencies needed for this particular game or lesson. These structures of games and learning negatively impact this kind of experience of players and learners when it interrupts their flow and their own intrinsic motivations to want to play the game.
Additionally, the use of graphic organization and catering to the user experience can also help with the application of scaffolding for different activities. The ways that information is organized can take on many different forms including game menus for visual optimization to player created organizations such as with character inventories for role-playing games.
Lastly, the learner and player experience can’t be fully described without also including fellow players and learners who are playing and experiencing the same game at the same time. The actions that other players take; their impact on the game; and the ways that other players could review; evaluate; and emulate them also helps scaffold individual players and their own learning experiences.
Applied Scaffolding in Games
Scaffolding in games is often inherent in their formal structures. In fact, creating structures to more easily learn, play, and excel in the game helps players achieve and enter the flow state of play. Such a connection also helps practitioners using games-based learning aid learners in achieving a specific learning outcome.
Video games support this kind of scaffolding in games by tailoring the experience to the individual player and user. This is often done through tutorials when first playing the game. The best games provide options for players to further tailor this experience based on their own familiarity with this game or similar titles.
This is where table top games such as Splendor are often introduced as “gateway games” because they provide a framework for the application and understanding of different, simple, and core mechanics that are often emulated in other titles. Mastering a game like Splendor helps players apply the heuristics of the game play to other similar titles.
Likewise, instructors can apply games-based learning where specific games are selected to achieve a specific learning outcome that helps individuals learn and apply it to different venues or applications. Instructors can also combine certain aspects of gateway games with games-based learning in order to curate and customize which games are played; why they are played; and the order in which they are played to synergize the goals of both game play and learner experiences.
Game designers can also use the features of scaffolding to reduce player frustration to help them acquaint themselves and master concepts of the core parts of game play. Only when they have mastered these elements (often through level design); can players proceed to apply what they’ve learned in further game challenges.
What’s even better is that now video games can determine; devise; structure; and implement dynamic challenges based on players’ actions and abilities to provide the appropriate degree of challenge for players over the course of their play. While the same or similar type of reactive and reactionary structuring to student learning is available in one-on-one-student support; it is not yet at a point where it can be replicated en masse at a distributable scale.
Scaffolding in Games-Based Learning
Like applied scaffolding for teaching and learning; scaffolding for games-based learning bridges the gap between the structures that help players play the game and help students learn. This moves the onus from only knowledge acquisition to knowledge development in which scaffolding helps players independently achieve their goals.
With games-based learning; games take on the medium in which learning occurs. Not just an accessory to the learning process; but rather a central and vital element for it. That means that scaffolding for games-based learning runs a middle ground between what players need form the game in order to succeed at playing it and what learners need from the content in order to create their own knowledge.
Furthermore; scaffolding in games-based learning may rely on experiences and game play from individuals who have played the same or similar games before as well as their mastery of material from different venues. Both relate to and influence how players make meaning; sense; and ultimately development understanding from game play.
Digital games-based learning also includes some sort of automatic; procedural; or generated scaffolding that helps players and learners engage and excel though game play. This can occur as a means of design from the actual digital game or through personalized scaffolding when used in concert with an instructor.
No matter what the application, scaffolding in games-based learning goes hand in hand with other types of learning activities such as reflection and debriefing. Such activities help learners relate content from the experience and game play to their previously played games and learned experiences.
Scaffolding in Practice
Scaffolding is best used when teaching or relating a new subject or game to learners or players for the first time. This often occurs as a result of sharing new games with other players such as with table top games. A new game usually includes the “teach” or the overview of the games so that players know how to play and engage.
In the formal classroom, an instructor might describe a concept or a procedure to a learner with specific visual aids (i.e. charts, graphics, whiteboard, slides etc…) to illustrate the concept. Then, they have the students repeat or reinterpret the content in their own words. Often helping students create their own type and design of graphic organization for the content. This practice can be useful for helping them organize new information as it relates to their past experiences.
This type of personalized graphical organization further aids learners when additional structures that are used in the scaffolding practice. These could include metaphors; analogies; or other association strategies. For game play; this could contain a review of the same or similar mechanic in other games that the player might already be familiar with. However, the specific way that instructors and hosts scaffold their teaching and content should be customized and focused to the needs of individuals that best play to their strengths.
Advanced applications of scaffolding include procedural scaffolding. Instructors using procedural scaffolding first determine what kinds of supports are needed for the learner; then producing those supports; and then gradually removing or reinforcing them based on students’ own performance. The further reinforcement or removal of this scaffolding can be augmented through the use of challenges or assessments which determine individuals’ mastery and the need for further the reinforcement or progression.
Challenges with Scaffolding
Of course there are some challenges with scaffolding as there are challenges with any kind of game design or instructional design initiative. One of them is learning more about the individual’s learners themselves. Specifically: what they know and what they don’t know. Then, based on this, how to leverage what they know in order to help them learn what they don’t, so that they can best engage with the course or game.
It’s incredibly important for instructors to know the students’ level of comprehension. Without that knowledge, the students could be supported and scaffolded in the wrong way or provided help and resources when not appropriate. This also means that scaffolding can be a very personal and active support system for instructors as they continually check (and re-check) the understanding of individuals students throughout the learning process.
This means that scaffolding looks very different from instructor to instructor; from classroom to classroom; from game to game; and from learner to learner. Student’s knowledge; needs; and outcomes can often change on the fly. That means that instructors play active roles for how and when their learners are supported.
This is particularly evident and critical when learners demonstrate understanding and application of learning outcomes. This signals that scaffolding can be gradually removed and agency added and introduced which allows them to take a more independent role in their learning apart from the active involvement of the instructor.
Knowing when to “let go” and let the student take charge of their own learning can often be the most difficult part of teaching and learning with scaffold activities. For it relies almost entirely on the instructor’s discretion to determine the efficacy of each individual learner.
Takeaways
This article defined scaffolding along for its reasons and use for teaching and learning. Metacognition and learning were included as aspects that affect and structure how scaffolding is used. This specifically affects learner and player experience as it forms the basis for successful scaffolding activities.
Applied scaffolding in games was discussed as well as how scaffolding can be used in games-based learning. Scaffolding in practice was covered in addition to some of the most common challenges in applied scaffolding and what instructors can do to address them.
This article was about player scaffolding. To learn more about gamification, check out the free course on Gamification Explained.
Dave Eng, EdD
Principal
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Cite this Article
Eng, D. (2022, May 3). What is Player Scaffolding?. Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2022/5/3/what-is-player-scaffolding
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