cacioppo: The big question of level design – and i mean that every level design lesson i ever write will be a response to this question – is: how do i teach the player these rules? an unfortunate trend in contemporary games is to spell out every detail in a hand-holding “tutorial” session at the outset of a game – unfortunate because it shows both a great deal of contempt for the player’s intuition and a lack of confidence in the designer’s own design. but more than that, it’s a design failure because it tells the player the rules instead of allowing her to learn them. These game-playing tutorials are decidedly not delightful. Super Mario Bros. level 1-1 is the best example I know of good user onboarding.

cacioppo:

The big question of level design – and i mean that every level design lesson i ever write will be a response to this question – is: how do i teach the player these rules? an unfortunate trend in contemporary games is to spell out every detail in a hand-holding “tutorial” session at the outset of a game – unfortunate because it shows both a great deal of contempt for the player’s intuition and a lack of confidence in the designer’s own design. but more than that, it’s a design failure because it tells the player the rules instead of allowing her to learn them.

These game-playing tutorials are decidedly not delightful.

Super Mario Bros. level 1-1 is the best example I know of good user onboarding.

auntiepixelante.com

68 notes

Show

  1. resistcomfort reblogged this from zeb and added:
    I can apply this to web design as a whole.
  2. versen reblogged this from switchedblog and added:
    Comments on level design. Brilliantly executed in Super Mario Bros. and nicely elaborated on in this article.
  3. forthedeafandthemute reblogged this from zeb
  4. jacobjoaquin reblogged this from mikehudack and added:
    Some of these modern games require one to play up to two hours worth of tutorials before letting you on your way. It’s...
  5. zeb reblogged this from mikehudack
  6. vorpalblade reblogged this from switchedblog
  7. mikehudack reblogged this from caterpillarcowboy
  8. caterpillarcowboy reblogged this from cacioppo
  9. erickd reblogged this from cacioppo
  10. cynicalidealist reblogged this from joshuanguyen
  11. jericsinger reblogged this from cacioppo and added:
    Super Mario Bros. level 1-1 is the best example I know of good user onboarding.
  12. cacioppo reblogged this from joshuanguyen and added:
    These game-playing tutorials are decidedly not delightful.
  13. ronanicus reblogged this from switchedblog
  14. switchedblog reblogged this from joshuanguyen
  15. texturism said: agree. some people need rules or think they do - lack of trust perhaps. while others avoid, ignore them - preferring to go with their intuition and learn along the way. a fine balance to create something for both or encourage the latter in the former
  16. thecultureofme reblogged this from joshuanguyen
  17. letthetruthlaugh reblogged this from joshuanguyen
  18. superduggiie reblogged this from joshuanguyen
  19. joshuanguyen posted this

Blog comments powered by Disqus