Are Games Too Guided?

[penguinboy82]

Recently, I was designing a game with a class and we had a game lecture. The point of the lecture was how to introduce game mechanics. Most modern games these days have a tutorial that tells you exactly how to do everything, even simple things such as "To move forward, press the analog stick forward." But then there are games such as Super Mario Bros. which throw you in with nothing to go off of at all. Which style do you prefer? Do you like games that tell you what to do, how to do it, and give you step-by-step instructions, or would you rather start with nothing to go off of? Is there an in-between, like telling you a few key mechanics and letting you figure out the rest?

 

[Ventus]

Yes. Games are far too guided. From game design - linearity - to constant tutorials, there is just too much of a metaphorical hand to help us on. Back in my day, we got our guides from the enclosed instruction book (Hotel Mario reference ;p). Sometimes we had guides - like in OoT's Kokiri Training Grounds and via Navi - but most of the stuff we learned was on our own.

I really hate when games tell me what to do. It's just irritating. :I

 

[Salem]

The game's controls need not be complicated.

The game has to convey the controls to be step by step, but if I already know, it has to let me move on.

Although I prefer there was no tutorial because the game doesn't need it.

 

[Azure Sage]

For a game to throw you in with nothing to go on seems rather unreasonable to me. I don't mind going through tutorials in the beginning of games. If it's my first time playing the game, it's a great chance for me to get used to the controls and understand them. Even if I'm replaying a game, I don't really mind sitting through a tutorial. They don't typically last too long, and I'm usually a patient person when playing games anyway, so it's never been a big deal to me. I definitely don't want to have no tutorial at all, though. Like I said, it feels unreasonable for the game to tell you nothing.

 

[Blue Canary]

If the controls are as simple as "Jump is A" and "To run use the analog stick", I'm fine with just throwing you into the game. But if there is a control that would be hard to figure out on your own, a tutorial is important.