The model is also applicable to level design. For example, taking a benchmark of level design, Mario Bros 1.1, we can see how the design teach the players the game mechanics while taking them through an emotional ride. There is a crescendo in difficulty that triggers an emotional reaction.
| STEP | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| SETUP – Who, What, Where. What we know from before that has led us here, now. | We spawn, we have some room to discover how to move. |
| WANT – What do we want? Why are we here, now? | First thing we see is the “?” block. It encourages us to move forward. |
| DRIVE – You are moving forward because you want to… | |
| ENGAGE – Moving forward in the world, going after what we want. | We move forward towards the “?” block |
| OBSTACLE – What is between us and what we want | We see our first enemy. And our first mandatory jump. 2 obstacles introduced in their simplest form that will evolve during the level in increased difficulty. |
| END OF ACT I REVEAL | We discover the Mushroom! |
| DRIVE – You are moving forward because you want to… | |
| PLAN – We execute on what we decided to do, pushing through obstacles | We jump higher and higher, nothing new, just increased challenges. |
| MID POINT – Twist, turn. Stakes raised | The Star. |
| CHALLENGE – Biggest challenge so far. | New enemy that increased again the challenge but at the same time we are given a Star. |
| SUCCESS – Short moment of success and encouragement, brief tension relief. | This should lead to the turtle shell to knock down the 4 goombas. Very satisfactory for the player. |
| BREAK REVEAL | Learning to climb the block and jump. Safely. |
| DRIVE – You are moving forward because you want to… | |
| BREAK – Setback, criticism, crisis, defeat… things are bad | Then a little break with no enemies where we have to jump across a gap. |
| POST BREAK REVEAL | Jump across a gap by climbing up blocks, with the risk to die. |
| DRIVE – You know know what to do! You are moving forward because you want to… | |
| ASSAULT – Confrontation on the way towards the final obstacle | Approaching the last obstacle. |
| THEMATIC REVEAL – Thematic revelation | |
| BATTLE – Final battle against the last obstacle | The final obstacle, 2 goombas, they can seem easy but because of the blocks, if the player rushes, he will most likely be killed by the 2nd Goomba. |
| RESOLUTION – We reached our goal, or we didn’t | And finally the jump to the flag to finish the level. |
| DRIVE – You are moving forward because you want to… | |
| NEW STATE – New status quo. We won, we lost, things are different now. |