Pyramid Structure

A "pyramid structure" in games is the approach of solving several different small puzzles whose solutions provide clues that can be used to solve a larger, more complex problem. <describe more of the pyramid model/> Disambiguation: "Pyramid Scheme."

Pyramid structures lead the game from smaller accomplishments toward an aggregation of clues, resources, or insights that can be used to solve the singular, final challenge. In the game the player perceives a final challenge worthy of pursuing and accumulates resources in order to pursue the challenge under conditions of uncertainty. The player engages in playing the game because doing so seems like a fun, engaging, and challenging activity. The rules of the game and how to win the final challenge may be explicit, but those rules also allow game play that can unfold in unpredictable ways. The game player accumulates resources such as cards, currency, points, insights, and other game artifacts that strengthen the player's hand and reduce uncertainties about who will win the final challenge.

In entrepreneurship entrepreneurs perceive opportunities and marshal resources to pursue them under conditions of extreme uncertainty. Entrepreneur researchers and educators will recognize these four words and the major constructs of Timmons' Model of Entrepreneurship. Imagine a game in which players can play toward achieving a successful entrepreneurial venture by accurately identifying the opportunity, collecting and organizing the optimal resources, and reducing uncertainty through action. Clues about the those three concepts could unfold as game play progresses, with some miscues and red herrings thrown in to occasionally reinforce the notion of uncertainty.