Below is the final term paper I wrote for my Cognitive Science and Educational Technology course at NYU in the Fall of 2007.  

For many, the experience of purchasing a new video game or receiving one as a gift is an exciting one.  Most games worth playing have much anticipated release dates that are often delayed as software developers tweak their code in an effort to make games perfect. Gamers read magazines, search websites and even place pre-purchase deposits at their local game stores to make sure they get a copy when games are released on that special Tuesday.  When the day finally comes, gamers rush home, take a day off work or school and dive into an immersive world of entertaining play.

Once the game is loaded and a player’s character or file is created, the gamer, whether or not they want to, must embark on the same journey—the learning stage, where the game teaches its player how to play.  Today’s complex, three dimensional, high-definition commercial video games must teach users about the controls, maps, characters, storyline, history and outline goals and missions.  The genre and intricacy of the game should determine the complexity of the learning stage, but should include solid teaching methods to ensure even the most novice user will be able to move on to more advanced levels and ensure growth in an industry that sold $7.4 billion in games and consoles in 2006 according to the Washington D.C. based Entertainment Software Association.

But what methods do game designers employ when designing these “learning stages” of video games? Do designers haphazardly place objects, characters and instructions to teach gamers how to play or is there evidence of instructional design based on the theoretical research of the learning sciences? How have learning stages changed as advancing technologies have made graphics and storylines more complex? Can the suggestions of the theoretical history of the learning sciences make learning stages of video games more effective?

To answer these questions, I will explore the learning stages of one video game franchise, The Legend of Zelda, produced by Japanese video-game company Nintendo.  With titles on all of Nintendo’s seven gaming consoles, the franchise consists of 14 games dating back to its first release, The Legend of Zelda in 1986 to the latest title, The Phantom Hourglass in 2007. The franchise has sold 52 million copies according to a July 2007 press release on Nintendo’s website making it the 8^th bestselling video game series of all time.  

Each of the 14 titles revolves around the traditional “save the princess” and “defeat the forces of evil and darkness” motif set in a fantasy world of monsters and spirits.  Each game involves the same protagonist, a legendary male hero named Link who must rescue the princess Zelda. Dressed in a green hat and tunic, Link discovers as a boy that he is the chosen one; he collects items and powers and explores dungeons and defeats enemies all leading up to a final confrontation with the main antagonist who captured the princess and sank the land into darkness.  Even though each title exploits the same characters and storyline, the learning stage of each game has to adapt to the new technology, game platform, and overall game design as many titles shift the perspective of how the user goes through the game.

For the rest of the article, please visit the my website: http://www.matthewvalia.com/zeldalearningstages