Scars of War - A Different Look at Game Accessibility

[Corwin]

In his latest Scars of War Blog, Gareth tackles the ticklish question of game accessibility from a novel perspective, trying to interest his girlfriend in playing computer games. It proved to be not only a challenge, but an interesting learning experience with an important conclusion. Here's a small section:

I decide to choose the next game. Diablo 2, I say. Surely, Diablo 2 will work. I remember it as simple as all hell to play. Click click click. Plus, it’s an entry point into real RPGs. More than that, “Operation : Gamer Girlfriend” has a sub-goal, “Prepare Her For D3 Co-op Next Year".

So I get her into the game, she chooses a character and we load up in the Rogues camp. And I begin to explain the controls and concepts behind the game.
10 minutes later, when I’m still talking and demonstrating, I realise it isn’t quite as simple as I perceived it to be. I had imagined something along the lines of “your health orb is here, your mana orb is there, press i for inventory, and go!“
In fact, the whole thing really drove home just much our (by which I mean the “hardcore” gamers’) experience of games is driven by this framework of understanding that we have all built up over years, decades. It’s not that casual gamers are stupid, far from it. It’s simply that we’ve all been “swimming” for most of our lives and don’t understand why, when you take someone who has barely dipped their toes in before and tell them to swim the English Channel, they don’t enjoy it.

More information.

 

[Roi Danton]

And that is why I every game should have a good tutorial, from soccer sims to rpgs.
I just don't understand why this is so complicated. And by 'a good tutorial' I do not mean a few pop ups with nice text such as "And to move your character forward, press W, etc". Because this is not a tutorial, but a integrated manual.
Also tutorials should be (a) interesting (Warcraft 3 was cool) and (b) really explain the game mechanics in normal terms everyone understands and (c) explain all those nice little tricks and hotkeys that make a game so much easier as the player advances in the game.

I don't know why so few developers do understand this, but it just can't be that even an experienced player needs to look in a manual or even the games board just to play it right.
And yes, I had a few of those occasions over the years, and I do play every PC game I can find for over twelve years now.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Yes, switching into different genres could also be difficult.

I haven't played any RTS in ages (apart from Spellforce), and I doubt I would quickly understand today's controls compared to those I knew several years ago.

The farer UIs have developed, the more difficult they are to understand for someone who has quit playing games in this specific genre for quite some time.

To use an real-world example : If there was someone who has once learned driving the earliest cars, then this person would have to learn several mechanics anew in modern cars.

 

[kalniel]

People usually moan something rotten about tutorials and complain that if a game needs one then it's badly designed.

 

[Arhu]

People usually moan something rotten about tutorials and complain that if a game needs one then it's badly designed.

We're at that point already? Not too long ago, it seems, the same was said about manuals.

No wonder games keep getting dumped down until they play themselves, if that's what people want...

 

[Corwin]

Someone actually released a small game which played itself to save you the time; I forget what it was called, but it's somewhere in the forums!!

 

[Wulf]

Frankly, i can't stand using manuals or in-game tutorials. It's like being given a hand-holding therapy lesson or a pre-play counseling course.

I enjoy the all of the self-learn aspects of a game, it's part gaming itself, a main element in rpg fundamentalism.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Someone actually released a small game which played itself to save you the time; I forget what it was called, but it's somewhere in the forums!!

This is the "ProgressQuest".

 

[Brother None]

ProgressQuest is much better once you unlock 3D mode.

 

[Arhu]

This is the "ProgressQuest".

Found it. Oh boy.

It sounds very interesting, but the manual didn't mention a tutorial. Does that mean there isn't one? If so, I might have to give it a pass, the gameplay sounds confusing enough as is. And unfortunately my monitor doesn't support 3D.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

It actually has no 3D.

Try it out !