Getting to the next level

The bigger logs take awhile to catch fire. (Image by Capri23auto)

In the language-learning app I use, like so many games and gamified platforms, it takes an ever-increasing number of points to graduate to each subsequent level.

For example, it might take 100 points of gameplay to go from level 1 to level 2, and 1000 points to get from level 9 to level 10.

This is good game design, taking advantage of the nature of operant conditioning:

The irregular, non-linear leveling creates an unpredictable reinforcement schedule, meaning that the player doesn’t know exactly when the next reward is coming; this makes the reward more powerful.

Also, by requiring a higher level of points to attain the next level, the player is rewarded for actual achievements instead of being “reinforced” for a performance that is no longer an accomplishment (as Karen Pryor reminds us in Don’t Shoot the Dog, we cheer when a baby first learns to walk, but we’re not still cheering their steps a year later).

In effect, the player gets hooked early because the system recognizes and rewards early milestones, but since each new milestone takes more effort to achieve, the player is “tricked” into doing more. This works because, by this time, the process has become self-reinforcing—the player is hooked on the positive feelings and associations that come from playing the game in general, not just from the rewards themselves.

This experience can take place even in a learning environment that has no scoring or external reinforcement. That is, learning something new can feel like a game even when it’s not. The early days of a new skill are often exciting and intrinsically rewarding: “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this! I learned another new thing! And another!” The shallow learning curve at the start gives us the momentum and confidence to continue even after the newness wears off and we no longer get a thrill from, for instance, making a sound on our instrument or picking up a new word in our target language.

When we are more advanced, we are still learning and growing, even though our growth may be less immediately obvious than it was at the start. It is useful to have a mentor along this path to help us anticipate what’s next and to point out the signs that we are getting to the next level when we aren’t able to see it ourselves.

I’ve observed that, as a learner reaches higher levels of performance, I have more feedback for them rather than less. If someone writes a song for the first time, I will, as their teacher, praise them simply for doing it (often quite effusively). As they continue to write, the songs will get better; I will then have specific suggestions for improvement. This type of detailed feedback is not an indication of poor performance. On the contrary, it’s a sign that the songwriter has leveled up. The effusive praise simply for completing a song would be sort of insulting—again, like praising an older child for walking.

The more we learn in a particular domain, the more possibilities we will see for our own growth and development. This may make us feel as though we’re going backward, but we’re not. Being able to perceive ever subtler flaws in our own execution of an activity is another way to gauge that we’re on our way to the next level. We’re still advancing.

It can be discouraging when it feels as though there is a long plateau without obvious improvement. Together, the learner and mentor can celebrate (or even invent) little milestones to make the going less grueling. It’s important to recognize how far we’ve come, not just how far there is to go—and, of course, we might as well enjoy the journey while we’re at it.

If you’re on your own, it might be tricky to recognize when you’ve gotten to the next level. There probably won’t be a musical fanfare, a magic amulet, a trophy, or a bonus round where you just go around collecting coins. In fact, things may seem even harder than they were. Hang in there, remain consistent, and trust in your ability and your track record. You may only see how much you’ve gained in retrospect. In the meantime, keep playing.