Ingress Learning

Joel and Marion share Ingress stories from the mountain peaks of Utah and the planes of western Wyoming and discuss the relationship between challenge and motivation in games and learning. Good instruction creates experiences that are not too easy and not too difficult for the learner (that are in the learner's zone of proximal development (ZPD)). In contrast, in a competitive game, some teams try to win by demoralizing their opponent, so that they decrease their effort. The caveat is that if their opponents realize that the game is "rigged", then they won't play and the dominant player or team won't have fun because they won't have anyone to play against. Perhaps, for games, we should to introduce another ZPD, the Zone of Proximal Destruction, the place you strive to put your opponent where they are demoralized and don't maximize effort but are not so demoralized that they give up or that others realize that it is not worth playing against you. Take that Vygotsky.

Marion and Joel deconstruct the design of Ingress, explore its weaknesses, and discuss how the design of a game affects motivation, status, and ultimately player's identity.