All the lessons connect

When Mark placed all the lessons on a board he noticed that all the lessons connect to one and another. They weren't lessons that could really stand apart from each other. They were all part of a complex web of lessons. For example: every game has an universal restriction that is to please a target audience, there isn't a way to escape that. The game can't be anything to please anybody. That's impossible. All 19 lessons are part of a larger learning process and they are all one very large lesson.

The same could be said about level design. The architecture can't be disconnected from the challenges. The story can't be disconnected from the architecture. The contrast is also part of guiding the player through a path. The level design does include paths to follow. The level design itself can't be set apart from the plot and mechanics. Time and money aren't unlimited and the development of the levels is going to have restrictions in a way or another.