A game I like is Celeste, which is a platformer about climbing a mountain, while the mountain manifests your character’s internal conflict as physical obstacles you must overcome. The game is comprised mainly of loops where you gradually learn and master the various platforming mechanics that the game includes, such as dashing through the air. The most apparent interaction loops you encounter are facilitated by the platformer’s level system, which forces you to respawn and try each level again and again until you’ve mastered the timing and actions needed to beat it. Smaller loops also appear during these levels, as you learn to navigate specific aspects of the level’s geography (like climbing and jumping around a vertical wall), or deal with the introduction of new obstacles or mechanics (like a ghost that chases you). When these pop up, they loop more frequently. The game’s basic structure of individual platforming challenges are grouped together to create a broader level system, which splits the game into several larger chapters. There is a technical “golden path” through each chapter, but the levels embedded into the chapter allow players to loop as needed until they can master the skills to beat the chapter. Interaction arcs appear in between levels and chapters of the game and help advance the game’s narrative—these are such things as cutscenes and dialogue scenes where the main character speaks to herself or to others, and the focus is overwhelmingly on the evocative feedback the game is giving the player. Actions / decisions can be very simple in these cases, such as clicking or pressing a key to advance, in order to get the player to the feedback more easily.
