What are Progression Systems in Games?
What are Progression Systems in Games?
What are Progression Systems in Games?
One of the most becoming aspects of games is our ability to interact, change, and progress with them. We can progress as individual players; progress against opponents; and progress against the game itself.
The formal elements of games in concert with game designer make up these different “progression systems” in games. But what are progression systems? How are they used?
How can the best aspects of them be incorporated in the design process? And most importantly, how can they be used for games-based learning?
This article will examine progression systems in games closely. It’ll start by defining these systems and why they are so important. Different types of progression systems will be covered as well as how common features of progression systems are present in games.
The core loop, as well as goals and objectives of games are tightly connected to progression systems. Therefore, these disparate areas will be connected and related to how different examples of progression systems use them in concert with one another.
Player behavior and agency go hand in hand with defining the progression systems of games as its relates to and influences the player’s experience. These are often balanced again how progression systems can become “grinds” for players who are interested in moving ahead throughout gameplay.
These aspects will be compared against designing progression systems in games. This is related to actionable tips for progression systems and how designers can use and apply them for their own work.
Finally, this article ends on the philosophy behind progression systems in games; ethical considerations for progression systems in applied games like gamification; progression systems observed in other areas outside of gaming; as well as how progression system influence games-based learning.
Defining Progression Systems
While many players may not be able to define progression systems; they often know how they interpret them, because progression systems are designed to give player a sense of achievement and reward. Thus, progression systems refer to any in-game system that allows player to achieve goals and receive rewarding outcomes.
These progression systems are made up a combination of mechanics that guide players in achieving these goals, unlocking content, and experientially developing and building their own knowledge through game play. Thus, through the core game play loop, players actions are reinforced by formal game elements that helps them achieve mastery through play.
For commercial games that rely on an active and engaged player base, progression system’s primary purpose is to make the player feel that their time spent playing the game has been rewarding and worthwhile. Happy players are engaged players; and engaged players will continually play the game. And (if the game is based on a subscription model) then they will continue to pay the developers to play the game.
The origin of modern applications of game progression systems have their roots in early role-playing games (RPGs). Those progression system elements have since found their way into different game genres are well as through gamification. Despite this, there are as many different interpretations and applications of progression systems as there are games that use them.
However, no matter where or how progression systems are implemented, they all have the same common elements which include their applicable game mechanics, thresholds for player achievement, primary rewards, secondary rewards, and difficulty of attainment.
Some games set the structure of progression systems more formally which includes the game’s set goals and the ways that players can work to achieve them. Whereas other games’ progression system are more loosely interpreted and include abilities and agency for players to set their own goals and empower them with their own self-determination to accomplish those goals according to their own means.
Modern applications of progression systems in games have grown and evolved. Form the earliest days of character development and progression in role-playing games (RPGs); to the integration of monetization elements such as loot boxes and microtransactions. Progression systems remain a hallmark for most modern games from a player engagement and monetization standpoint. But why else are progression systems important for games?
Why are Progression Systems Important?
Progression systems are important for games because they keep players engaged and contribute to the overall longevity of the gaming experience. This could be through the duration of play for a single table top game or a massive multiplayer online game. Both venues and use cases are applicable for progression systems. That’s because progression system are usually coupled with goals, objectives, and rewards for players’ time investment in the game.
The formal elements that make up progressions systems in games also include critical components such as ways for players to track their progress and improvement. This can usually be done through in game currency or resources or through other means such as cosmetics, unlocked content, and narrative progression. However, no matter what form these kinds of reinforcement take for players, progression remains a crucial element for games to encourage player motivation and overall engagement.
This overall motivation for is important regardless of if players are winning or losing. Thus, progression should be visible, transparent, and disclosed to players throughout their play even if it only occurs in small increments. Doing so ensures that players have anchored their participation into some kind of sense of purpose, accomplishment, or sense of growth. This combined with the intrinsic motivation of players keeps them engaged and interacting with the game.
While all progression systems are designed with player engagement and motivation in mind; they do not always have to approach that outcome in the same way. The unique interpretations and applications of progression systems in some games provide a way for players to experience something cathartic that can still subvert expectations that they have come to expect from other games.
This is often seen in games that eschew traditional progression elements such as goals, objectives, victory points, and other means of director player interaction. Instead, they focus on elements such as narrative progression, asymmetric abilities, or in-game lore elements that further players’ intrinsic motivation to continue engaging and playing.
Types of Progression Systems
There are as many different and unique interpretations and applications of progression systems as there are games. However, there are certain archetypes of progression systems that are often seen in most games. This section will discuss different types of progression systems such as cyclical progression; player character-based progression; mission, level, and world progression; and resources, currencies, and commodities as progression systems.
However, before delving into these different types of progression systems, we’ll first examine two applications of progression systems in games: horizonal and vertical progression systems.
Horizonal and Vertical Progression
Horizontal progression systems present options and choices to players. Examples of these include different spells and abilities in the Final Fantasy series; different types of weapons in the Mega Man series; and different party members in Pokemon.
The strength of these different options for layers in horizontal progression systems is that they are given tools and options that promote their own strategic thinking. Therefore, designers should take care to avoid giving players options, tools, and choices that feel either useless or overwhelming. These choices can often influence players choice architecture and how you provide different (but concise) methods for players to interact, engage, and implement their own agency in the game.
Conversely, vertical progression systems are measured in terms of scale. This can be seen in stat increases, improved or upgraded abilities, and increased capacities for resources such as health and mana. Examples of these include character leveling up systems in the Final Fantasy series and Pokemon series; as well as power-up items such as the mushroom found in Super Mario Bros.
The overall strength of vertical progression systems such as these lies in players’ sense of themselves as the avatar or player character becoming stronger and more capable of addressing challenges presented in the game. Designers can continue to engage players by scaling these challenges; accordingly, making them more difficult as players’ capabilities increase so that they are engaged in play and making meaningful decisions.
With both horizontal and vertical progression system applications in mind, we can now address specific types of progression systems in cyclical progression; player character-based progression; mission, level, and world progression; and resources, currencies, and commodities as progression systems.
Cyclical Progression
Many of the progressions system found in games are linear: they increase at an expected and predictable rate given formal game systems. These kinds of cyclical progressions can be cumulative as they accrue and build throughout the game and through play or they can accompany a hard reset. The latter (hard cycles) are often found in games with seasonal leagues or through rouge-like games that include features like permadeath.
Conversely games may also have (soft cycles) of cyclical progression in games as different resources; achievements; or accomplishments change from one (in-game) season to the next or through item decay as found in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Player Character Based Progression
Another commonly seen progression system is through the development of individual player characters and avatars within a game. These are often quantities through the achievement and consumption of experience points to increase player levels. These types of progression systems are often taken directly from role-playing games with the in-game avatar of the player becoming stronger and more capable as the game progresses.
This can also be seen in player characters through improvement (or decay) of characters through enhanced skills and knowledge or through the loss of ill-used abilities or decisions that causes the character’s reputation and standing with particular factions (as seen in the Fallout series) to decline.
Characters’ abilities improve and are made transparent to players through skill-based progression systems are often connected to in-game elements such as skill trees. These skill trees provide players with choices and agency in how they want their character to improve over time based on their own desires and player motivation.
Finally, players in 4x games as well as civilization building games also benefit through the production and evolution of their own bases and civilizations as representations of their own in-game choices.
Mission, Level, and World Progression
Mission, level, and world progression is another form of observed progression systems that guides players through a sequential advancement through levels or stages. These are often accompanied by missions and quests with clear goals and pre-defined rewards which are transparent to the player. Doing so ensures overall player engagement and retention.
Conversely, other open world games such as Minecraft offer players the ability and freedom to explore and progress at their own pace. As such, they are unencumbered by designer focused objectives and instead may choose goals that fit their own play styles and intrinsic motivations.
Resources, Currencies, and Commodities Progression
Resources, currency, and commodities are seen in a vast swath of different games. As such, they can be used in various ways for players to gain new gear and fun equipment upgrades. The result of which is the creation of an in-game economy where resources are earned, gained, consumed, and spent in exchange for other game components.
These types of progression systems often accompany player achievements and milestones that are easily quantified and tied to a specific array of these different resources, currencies, and commodities earned by players.
Other Forms of Progression
Finally, other forms of progression systems can be found in different games that don’t fall within the previously discussed categories. These can include story and narrative progression where players learn more about the game’s theme, lore, and story as they progress throughout the game.
Additionally, legacy systems which can be found in many modern table-top games, are used to track the prevalence of a coherent campaign for a certain group of players. These legacy systems can also be found in idle mobile games where players intentionally restart the game with improved stats as they begin a new playthrough.
These types of progressions systems in mobile games can also be tied to time-based progression systems where players are reinforced and rewarded for actual time spent playing in the game. This can often be seen as an equalizer in progression systems as they are not tied to specific player activity and are rather attached to participation overall.
Finally, luck or random progression systems determine advancement based on pure chance or luck. This can be seen in gambling applications such as slot machines and to an extent claw games where the chances for success are randomized based on the activity of the particular machine.
Progression System Features
Along with some of the progression systems that were discussed previously, there are also several progression system features that are observed in many games. This section will discuss some of the more popular features in depth. Those include: experience points and leveling up, skill development, content unlocks, collections and collecting, and resource, commodities, and currency.
Experience Points and Leveling Up
Experience points are one of many resources managed by players in games. This is because they represent a type of currency that serves many uses. They measure a player’s progression and the rate at which they are accrued can represent a player’s skill level. These experience points are earned and in turn are consumed to receive several different player improvements. Those include everything from stat increase; to skill development; and forms of player character development in game play.
One of the most rudimentary formats for these kinds of experience points is the basic points system that are prominent in many classic arcade games. The numerical value provides a means from which players derive progress or “ranks” against other players via a high score board. These in turn provide a clear way to monitor and compete for progression in a socialized format against other players.
A more modern application and adaptation of these socialized high score screens are reputation systems that are found in many online games. These systems form a kind of character progression that reflects a player character’s action in the game world. This can be seen in Cyberpunk 2077where players may earn fame points but must work to continue to maintain their reputation.
Likewise, another format of player reputation can be seen in platforms like Board Game Arena where players willingness to make moves on the platform via different games influences their “reputation” so that other players may determine if the player will likely finish a game through its conclusion.
Skill Development
Overall, experience points and points accrual influence how they are spent by players. One of the most common ways in which they are redeemed is via skill trees or tech trees that allow players to invest in one kind of feature or upgrades that promotes horizontal progression.
These skill trees are often reminiscent of role-playing games where they allow players to unlock different abilities that are gained through the completion of different missions, objectives, quests, or other interactions within the game world.
While the overall format of skill trees remains the same from game to game; some offer various different ways in which players can invest their points. Some of which can often be overwhelming and anxiety inducing for the player. More successful implementation of skill trees involves meaningful decision making and choice architecture that are comprised of small skill boosts. Therefore, mainlining a balance between choice and avoiding analysis paralysis is essential in designing meaningful skill trees for players.
Content Unlocks
Unlocking contents, features, upgrades, and other elements are a part of skill trees and tech trees in games. However, the gradual unlocking of content as the player progresses throughout their journey is essential. This can be accomplished by ensuring that players are first used to (and have mastered) core game mechanic first prior to unlocking new features.
Furthermore, other unlockable elements also honor players’ agency by providing them different with ways for them to play the game. Both Bastion as well as Hades provides these choices in the types of weapons unlocks available to players as they progress throughout the game. Giving players the choice to play a melee or ranged combat style honors this agency.
Additionally, not all content unlocks need to be tied to player character skills and features. Rather unlocked content can come in the form cosmetics and other observable changes in player characters that demonstrate a form of change, development, and achievement for players.
Collections and Collecting
The unlocking of different types of player cosmetics further fuels another feature of progression systems in collectibles and the activity of collecting. The aspect of collectibles in games provides additional reasons and motivations for exploring the game world. Both the “explorer” and the “achiever” player types in Bartle’s Player Taxonomy as well as completionists find gratification in uncovering and discovering all parts of a game.
This can also be represented in different in-game achievements and trophies earned from players who undertake novel challenges in game play. The result of which is the acquisition and accumulation of player trophies of increasing variety and rarity.
Resource, Commodities, and Currency
Virtually all progression systems include some kind of resource, commodity, or currency as a reinforcement for player progression. This section began with a discussion of experience points which represent one of these types of commodities. However, other games include different and various unique scarce resources that can be earned and acquired through game play.
Those kinds of scarce resources offer up different kinds of tradeoffs for players. Some games provide them as a means of earning victory points to help players win. Whereas others help players help “build” an engine and suffer some kind of short term loss for a long term gain.
However, like any good player economy, there are often features embedded in these systems that provide for a kind of obsolescence or inflation of resource spent and consumed. Items can slowly become obsolete, non-impactful, or irrelevant to help players address current challenges. As such, players are motivated to sell or upgrade them to continue to remain competitive.
Designers may also decide to give players the choice of how and when they want to keep resources should they find themselves in unwinnable scenarios. This is not the case for rouge-like games; but other formats provide a “mulligan” or a way for a plyer to restart a scenario or back-track to a save point to restart and minimize the pain of lost resources rather than ending their play.
Core Loop, Progression Systems, and Goals
Overall game progression systems exist as a result of, and a connection to, the overall core loop of game play. These core loops represent the basic elements and actions for players in the game. The progression system is a result of this repeated action process for players.
This simple core loop in game play can be seen in the franchise Call of Duty where players engage in the basic actions of shooting, running, hiding, reloading, and moving about the game world. The progression systems come into play based on team scoring elements as well as character upgrades through multiple play sessions.
Progression in these games is fed through a secondary game loop where players are rewarded by accomplishing higher level goals. Returning to the Call of Duty example, players earn kill streaks by continually acquiring a certain number of kills without dying. As such, they are rewarded with positive gameplay loop elements which speed up the course of a game through features like artillery strikes; air strikes; and radar scans which helps a player and their team win.
Furthermore, these secondary game loops go onto influence tertiary goals that extend the experience of game play into a longer time frame lasting, hours, days, weeks, or even months. Progression in these kinds of tertiary goals (such as completing missions, acquiring rare items, or achieving specific objectives) is often achieved after completing goals in these secondary loops. These can be observed in massive multiplayer online games where subscription models are based on players returning and playing the game for extended periods of time.
However, no matter what game play loop is featured, it’s important that clear feedback is given to players so that they can better understand their performance. This feedback can be coupled with active debriefing and self-reflection of players experiences through games-based learning.
This can be further coupled with organizational development using applied games which help foster a culture of continuous improvement based on the core, secondary, and tertiary loops of games, and how all of them influence the overall progression system of play. Doing so can help educators, trainers and leaders foster an organization of continuous improvement based on a common cultural artifact such as game play.
Examples of Progression Systems
While different types and features of progression systems have been shared along with a few examples, this section will go into greater depth explaining different applications of progression systems. In game examples include progression systems in player characters; levels, missions, and worlds, commodities, buildings, and narratives; and gamification.
Player Character Examples
The Call of Duty franchise was examined before. The game is also credited with bringing more massive multiplayer online progression systems features to the series which includes experience points and unlockable content. Such progression systems are implemented to align with players’ preferred playstyles and weapon choices.
These represent basic level progression systems; whereas Minecraft has implemented a slew of features from basic to advanced systems that keep players engaged longer. Likewise, first-person shooter games as well as action-roleplaying games like the Diablo franchise allow players to research and augment new weapons: exemplifying the rewarding nature of progression.
Furthermore, other role-playing games like Divinity: Original Sin II and Dark Souls include typical progression systems reflected in character upgrades and development via skill trees that provide players with meaningful choices as well as meaningful rewards. Final Fantasy X iterates on this through the use of the Sphere Grid system which allows players to further customize and create multi-class characters.
Level, Mission, and World Examples
Progression systems are even found in simpler mobile games or games that use the match-3 mechanic where developers aim to create a balanced difficulty curve that prevents frustration without making the game too easy. A progression system here opens players to a simple choice that can have exponential effects through repeated plays and chaining moves.
Likewise, No Man’s Sky provides players with a horizonal progression systems which incentivizes players to explore procedurally generated universe with multiple possibilities for different experiences on different planets. Additionally, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ties both progression elements with the exploration features of No Man’s Sky providing players with freedom of choice regarding movement and exploration. This is compared to more procedural games that only provide players with a linear framework for exploration.
Commodities, Building, and Narrative Examples
Eve Online has perhaps one of the most advanced game economies developed and relies on an unconventional progression system based on in-game currency (ISK). This economic system emphases group and collaborative progression for corporations which eschews a more traditional individual focused one.
Other progression systems rely on building, networking, and route connection as can be seen in Death Stranding where players are incentivized to build bridges and roads in an online space. The results of which provide players with more options for game play and exploration. Likewise, Hades combines story development with character death in this rogue-lite game that makes player elimination both an integral and critical part of the vertical progression in the game and the strengthening of the player character.
Gamification Examples
Progression systems can also be found in gamification systems as well as games. These can be seen in activity trackers such as Fitbit where players can set daily fitness goals and compete against other individuals in their network for rewards for reaching milestones.
The same can be observed in Duolingo where a progression system based on micro tasks and micro lessons breaks language learning into manageable chunks. The result of which are small activities and small victories that learners achieve along the way towards a larger goal of language mastery. SuperBetter encompasses this as well as a means of using both progression and gamification for helping users pursue a positive path towards self-recovery.
Player Behavior and Progression Systems
Progression systems may be created by game designers; but player behavior often has an outsized impact on how those progression systems are interpreted and used by players. This includes means where players may strategically delay progression in accessing certain areas of the game to engage their character in less challenging environments. Doing so allows their character to progress at a more predicable rate.
As such, it should be noted that while there may be different archetypes for players; player behavior often means that players may adopt different play styles based on the game and other players in the play group. Therefore, it’s important to know and understand how players are playing the game and analyzing that behavior for evaluating whether or not progression systems have their intended effect.
Overall, the underlying factor affecting players’ progression in games is their motivation. Players are often motivated by their desire to improve and achieve. That can take on many forms ranging from gaining levels, unlocking new technologies, or acquiring new in-game items. Therefore, game designers can capitalize on this motivation by providing clear goals and outcomes for players by leveraging the “goal gradient effect” where when players are closer to a goal – they will work faster towards its completion.
Such a structure directly influences players engagement in the flow state which is the optimal gaming experience. This is achieved through clear goals and progress which is balanced against immediate feedback and perceived challenge and player skill. This is not easily accomplished and rather provides a very fine balance between what players are capable of and their present challenge.
Such is the case with games’ vertical progression systems that provide a type of enemy inflation and damage scaling. Players may earn experience points to unlock a new weapon which does damage to enemies at greater rate than before; but new enemies may have a greater number of hit points than before; thus, obfuscating and negating the increase in damage dealt.
Lastly, players can also enact their own agency in determining their own progression. This often comes about through responding to in-game situations where different goals, objectives, or outcomes are reveled to players, and they therefore take on a choice of why, how, and when they choose to pursue those goals.
Progression Systems and the Player Experience
Overall we’ve discussed progression systems as being part of the design process; but a more holistic way to approach them focuses on ways to enhance and cater to the player experience. Again, this is because progression systems target and provide a sense of accomplishment and rewards for players’ choices and inputs. These represent tangible results from their efforts.
Therefore, well designed progression systems are created that exemplify and prioritize players’ success. The use of formal game elements such as missions, tasks, objectives and goals provide structures and formats for how these players can achieve such success. In turn, these elements should be made both measurable and continuous so that players actions don’t end up feeling like a grind.
This is best achieved by combining horizontal along with vertical forms of progression systems that provide players choices in terms of how they interact with the game as well as ways to improve and upgrade actions and abilities already unlocked in the game.
One of the most accessible ways of offering players a base form of progression in the player’s experiences is to onboard players accordingly. This is done through smooth onboarding and orientation of play where basic game features are demonstrated at the start of play. As players continue to play and engage with the game, the gradually understand and internalize these base game mechanics. In turn, these base mechanics are expanded through horizontal progression that provides new options for play as well as vertical progression systems that provides more impactful options for players to use.
All of these options are provided to players to cater to the overall player experience as well as prevent them from abandoning the game from which they have invested and expended much time and effort to progress.
Player Agency and Progression Systems
Player experience, investment, and progression all serve players’ agency. This can come about through the onboarding process of games as well as through specific goals, objectives, missions, and quests.
While these are of the designer and developer inspired options, players can still enact their own agency by being given the freedom to set their own goals and choices – thereby having an impact on their own development throughout their play. This speaks directly to the meaningful decisions that players can take in games that fully support their own sense of self-determination and autonomy throughout play.
Of course, player agency means that players can make choices and decisions so long as they are not paralyzed by them. Providing players with an overwhelming number of choices or providing such minutiae to choices can often cause analysis paralysis. This can be addressed by providing players with the opportunity to reset or reallocate resources like skill points to try different strategies without causing major consequences from their play.
Despite this, it’s important to keep the decision-making framework and overall emphasis on player agency in check as there is a tendency towards natural decay in attention. This can be used effectively when mitigating player losses over the course of play.
However, engaging core loops and progression system that continually rewards player investment can negate this. This can be further emphasized when these core game elements are paired with rich narrative and theme that enhances the game play experience and immersion.
Progression Systems, Grinding, and Game Balance
Progression systems are meant to engage players within the game. However, it’s important that his engagement is done so in a way that supports balance but opposes mindless grinding.
This can be more complicated for both designers and developers since the player experience and different player styles must be considered. For digital games this often comes from different rates of play among players. This can be observed in Apex Legends where the game is designed to emphasize a diversity of goals ranging from short-term; mid-term; and long-term goals of players so that a majority of participants can be engaged with varying levels of time commitment.
This variety is meant to reduce the aspect of grinding for players – which is the repeated execution of a task as a means of gaining perceived value in the game. While mostly concentrated in digital games; aspects of grinding can be found in non-digital games and tabletop games by pursuing game play and strategies which may objectively be fulfilling but may not provide the most positive player experience. An example of this is the” big money” strategy in Dominion where players focus on purchasing only victory point bearing cards, eschewing any “fun” choices with action cards.
Therefore, designers should strive to create progression systems and core loops which provide a variety of choices and play for individuals. If those choices still encourage grinding aspects; then those choices should be balanced with other intrinsic motivation factors to avoid player boredom and disengagement.
Furthermore, different thresholds can be set that direct players to explore new content and playstyles to continue progressing in the game. This is often seen in digital games that provide content unlocks by progressing far into a particular challenge (vertical progression) or diversifying and accomplishing different challenges (horizonal progression).
Above all of this, designers and developer must also consider the impact that players’ playstyles can have on the overall player economy within the game and how resources are balanced. Because of this, it can be helpful to think of game economies as a series of faucets (supply) and sinks (drains) for resources. If there are adequate opportunities for players to gain resources, currency, and commodities in the game (faucet); then what opportunities are there for them to spend or redeem them in the game (drains) and are those two concepts balanced?
Game Design and Progression Systems
Grinding and game balance overall speak to the greater need for a fine-tuned emphasis on the design of progression systems within games. All progression systems can be boiled down to the core loop of the game and what actions from that core loop enable the player to progress (horizontally or vertically) in the game throughout their play.
The connection of which combines key elements from the player experience: intrinsic motivation; self-determination theory; and mastery of game competencies. The positive results of which contribute to an overall pleasurable gaming experience. This pleasurable experience can be accelerated by smoothly onboarding players to the overall core mechanics of gameplay and then providing and ramping opportunities for players to use those core mechanics throughout play in similar and iterative formats.
Once players are able to master these core mechanics; progression systems provide a continued source of both new challenges and content which represent tangible rewards and recognition for player improvement. We’ve learned that these rewards can be represented in new mechanics or options for play (horizonal progression) or upgrading core mechanics (vertical progression) that increases players abilities. In addition, these rewards can also include non-mechanical elements such as cosmetic upgrades and changes which still serve as a positive reinforcement for the player experience without the need to balance these new elements in game play.
When addressing the accumulation of resources (such as experience points) careful consideration should be made for how and when those players use those points rather than overall accumulation. Doing so provides a means for players to work towards achieving short and long-term goals as well making strategic decisions in their play.
Examining where players are accumulating resources that are meant to be spent and consumed could expose “pain points” in game designs where player progression has been unintentionally slowed down. This is one step in determining good versus bad progression systems design where progress has stopped, slowed; or halted due to player decisions and/or overall design.
Again, great progression system design balances challenges and rewards; vertical and horizontal progression; and faucets (supply) and sinks (drains) in maintaining player engagement; competency; and enjoyment of play. When all these factors are integrated seamlessly into core play; then players are more likely to enter the flow state that promotes their continued engagement.
Actionable Tips for Designing Progression Systems
This article has already shared some strategies for implementing progression systems within the framework of game balance and game design. The following is a summary of additional and critical considerations with any kind of progression systems implemented within commercial games, serious games, or gamified platforms.
First, ensure that the player’s progression is aligned with core mechanics. This starts with the core loop. This is the series of actions that players will take over the course of play until the game’s conclusion. Progression systems should be built upon this core loop rather than added as an addendum later.
Progression systems should also be aligned to player agency and choice. Progression systems that are linear are good at representing player progress; but do little to ensure that players’ choices in the game remain impactful and honor their own autonomy. As such, different types of progression systems (i.e. both horizonal and vertical) should be included within the game in order to keep it engaging from both a decision framework as well as from a player journey standpoint.
These different types of progression systems should also be transparent in what they include and what is provided. This can be seen most frequently in skill tress and tech trees as vertical forms of player progression. The tech tree highlights what features, skills, and abilities are improved for players and how their investment into that feature can help them progress in the game. Therefore, most of these skill trees are designed with iconic heuristics which help players identify and differentiate what different kinds of skills they can invest in.
Both transparency and simplicity go hand in hand with how players interpret their own progression within the game. More complex systems that can be hard to discern make this interpretation that much harder for the player. Therefore, it helps players determine when they have accomplished certain milestones in the game by actively reinforcing that accomplishment. This can be seen commonly in game platform achievements such as with Steam, XBOX, and PlayStation.
Overall, player rewards are what makes progression systems worthwhile and motivating for players to pursue. Therefore, designers should create rewards that best maintain player engagement throughout the player journey. Additionally, rewards should be provided meaningfully in order to best curate to the player experience.
Lastly, progression systems should ultimately be flexible to cater to user preferences and styles which can often change from play session to play session. This speaks directly to the need for regular and iterative playtesting based on actual player behavior as well as player feedback.
Philosophy Behind Progression Systems in Games
Previous sections have discussed the formal elements that are included in progression systems as well as how and why they are important for games and how they influence the player’s experience. However, it’s also important to consider different philosophies of player progression and how they shape current and future game development.
Two gameplay structures that are often discussed are emergence and progression. Emergence usually relates to games that involve small or minimal rules, structure, or limits for interaction. The results of which are games which produce numerous variations that facilitate replayability as well as strategic depth. Classic abstract games such as chess and Go fall in this camp.
Conversely, progressive games instead require player to follow a predefined series of actions to complete the game. These games are more “guided” as they are created by the designers from the start to follow the game’s overall framework. The result is a more tailored experience that is closer to what the designer originally envisioned for the player. Narrative based games such as those from various Telltale series reflect this category as well as other “choose your own adventure” style of games.
The philosophy of these games here and as they relate to progression is situated between emergent game play versus progressive game play. Games that have emergent game play are largely driven by the interactions between the player and the actual game system (i.e. Minecraft). Here, players can choose how, when, and where they interact with the game world. Conversely, progressive game play is often formulaic and didactic with much structure and fixed challenges such as with platformers like the classic Super Marios Bros.
In the end, there is no correct or incorrect answer to these two different philosophies between the player experience and how progression is implemented and reinforced. Progressive game play is appreciated for its predictability and ability for designers to craft a narrative and immersive experience for players. Conversely, emergent game play highlights player agency and autonomy in their ability to take actions that can lead to unpredictable outcomes. The result of which is a more dynamic and (seemingly) limitless gaming experience.
Very few games incorporate either emergent or progressive game play exclusively. However, many successful commercial titles incorporate elements of both to cater to different play styles as well as honor player agency.
Progression System Ethics
Like with any sort of system for engagement and interaction, there will be concerns about ethics and responsibilities. This can be seen in choice architects who work regularly in determining how choices are framed and presented to users. So then are progression systems and how they are structured by game designers and those building gamified systems.
One of the more capitalistic incentives for engaging progression systems in premium games that are based on microtransactions are that engaged players are more likely to continue playing and making in-game purchases. This is not necessarily bad – especially if this is the given business model for the game. However, ethical questions surround player addiction like how individuals can be addicted to gambling and the various games that casinos offer.
However, the nature of microtransactions can be more divisive for players as they represent small and repeatable purchases. At face value they don’t appear to be capable of much harm; but have come into the limelight for their potential exploitative practices. Despite this, these microtransactions continue to form a basis of progression systems in games dependent on microtransaction income.
No matter how games, gamification, or applied games are used, progression systems can be used unethically to “trap” players psychology into continually playing the game and engaging with a system. This is done despite their other physical, emotional, and psychological needs.
Progression Systems Outside of Games
Progression systems are found not only in games. They can be observed in other platforms and venues that require individuals and users to continue their interaction and engagement with a system. Such is the case with corporate structures and frameworks where continuous improvement of employee and organizational processes often entail positive benefits for the bottom line.
The same can be said for employee engagement and progression systems such as bonuses, merit increases, and tenure that motivates them to take on new challenges and pursue new responsibilities. The result of which is often driven by employees desire for continuous learning, improvement, and skill development: similar to how player character progression systems operate.
Corporate and organizational leadership can help frame and structure these real-life progression systems by setting clear expectations for employees similar to how game designers create quests, missions, and objectives for players to pursue and accomplish. This results in both companies and individuals achieving goals that are mutually beneficial to both parties. When this type of goal setting is paired with a clear path for individual progression and promotion within an organization, the result can lead to lower turnover and reduced attrition at specific companies.
Progression Systems and Games-Based Learning
Progression systems are critical elements in games for keeping and engaging players over time. We can also see from gamification that they are present in other formats outside of games. This means that progression systems can also be used effectively in teaching, education, training, and learning.
Progression in teaching and learning goes hand in hand with several different concepts. One of which is scaffolding and the gradual introduction of concepts over time. This is done to not overwhelm the learner. It also has the added benefit of building more complex concepts onto basic ones.
We can often observe this is in games with the advent of tutorials and other frameworks for helping players gain base level competency in game play. Therefore, the same should be applied in serious games, applied games, and learning games by helping learners connect learning outcomes with the core loop and mechanics of game play.
Another format in which progression systems can be used in games-based learning is by supporting learner agency in helping individuals determine how and when they want to learn and apply new skills and applications through their play. In this way, they determine how fast or slow they are exposed to and apply new concepts. Doing this means that they are better positioned to implement and apply their own learning in play through their own demonstrated self-determination.
Just like in commercial games and gamification, progression systems in games-based learning accomplishes two goals. First, it reinforces players achievement in the game and their own learning outcomes. Second, it also helps provide both players and educators with effective insights into their own learning and engagement through play.
Takeaways
This article discussed progression systems in games. Progression systems were defined as well as the characteristics of what makes progression systems important for games. Different types and varieties of progression systems were discussed along with common features found in most commercial games.
The core loop, goals, and objectives were discussed as they relate to progression system in games. These were shared along with specific examples of progression systems.
Players were discussed as active participants and interpreters of progression systems. This was examined through the lens of the player’s experience and how successful progression systems support player agency. This was compared against some types of negative player interactions (such as grinding) in games. These concepts were discussed in relation to how these shortcomings can be mitigated through game balancing.
Game design and progression systems were covered as well as specific actionable tips for designing progression systems in games. This article closed on overall philosophies behind progression systems and play styles as well as important concepts to consider about progression systems such as ethical applications, progression systems outside of games, and formally in games-based learning.
This article was about progression systems in games. 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. (2024, January 16). What are Progression Systems in Games? Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2024/1/16/what-are-progression-systems-in-games
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