(if this question makes little sense to you, skip below to the 'gamer lingo primer' below, and then continue)
As Lava already is a sort of real-world video game, it would seem a natural fit--an adventure game, with some action elements, why not throw in some RPG elements? Level 5 jumpstick. Level 2 orangutan. Naturally. But there are at least two distinct considerations that come to bear on such a question.
First: is lava really a level kind of activity? One of the things that makes lava so much fun is that it is simple and organic. You either beat a challenge or you don't. Unlike other exercises--running, weight lifting--there is no need to 'keep track of progress.' For instance, the only way to beat a bench press challenge, is first to set a numerical goal: such and such reps at such and such weight. Same with running: so far, so fast. Lava is about getting from point a to point b without any necessary recourse to numbers. Get there however you can. It is this creative problem-solving and personalized element that makes lava different every time. Throwing numbers into this system might be not only unneeded, but ultimately damaging.
Second: It is difficult to quantify many of the aspects that makes one good at lava. Sure, perhaps a crow's nest skill can be measured in terms of time on a vertical, or revolutions, or some other test. But the endurance and novel approach that enable one lavaist to overcome a challenge where another fails is far less tangible. This relates to the first point in that, to be successful at lava, one needs to fill in all of the gaps between holds and transfers with a kind of gumption that is neither strength nor endurance exactly. It is lavaness? It certainly seems hard to put a number on this save by peer review.
Anyway, those are the considerations of lava I was interested in discussing today. Speaking of levels, Dan and I both successfully completed the jackup the other day on the Spicetree playground. Prior to this, we had only ever seen the Jack boys successfully ascend a horizontal using only upper body (confer Deacon to the left). Perhaps this in the end is all that can be done in terms of levels. Completed challenges. Like a merit badge, or trophy in a video game. All we need now is a sweet page to show all of it off. Anyway, I have internet again, so more to come soon. Also, more moves of the day are on the way. Lava lava labamba.
Gamer Lingo Primer:
Video games come in several genres, one if which is the role playing game, or RPG. In an RPG, the player constructs and plays a character that develops throughout the game. This happens primarily in terms of levels, or numerical values, assigned to skills and attributes. Thus, as play in an RPG progresses, a character gains higher and higher levels, specific to that game. In asking about lava and levels, this is the nature of the question. Should lava incorporate numerical values to a lavaist's skill set?
