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video game design Video game design is the process of designing the rules and content of video games in the Video game development#Pre-production, pre-production stage and designing the gameplay, environment, storyline and characters in the Video game development ...
, a tutorial is any tool that teaches player or
non-player characters A non-player character (NPC) is a Character (arts), character in a game that is not controlled by a Player (game), player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaste ...
the rules, control interface, and mechanics of the game. Some tutorials are integrated into the game, while others are completely separate and optional. Games can have both of these at once, offering a basic mandatory tutorial and optional advanced training. Tutorials have become increasingly common due to the decline of printed video game manuals as a result of cost cutting and
digital distribution Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of information or materials through digital platforms. The distribution of digital ...
. Tutorials can be important since they are a player's first impression of a game, and an overly tedious tutorial or one that does not allow for player freedom can negatively affect their view of a game. However, the lack of a tutorial can also harm a game by causing the player to become frustrated, since they cannot figure out essential game mechanics.


Design

Tutorials range from gently easing the player into the experience, to forcing them to learn via trial and error, only allowing them to proceed when they have mastered the game-play. The former type is often framed as guidance from a mentor character, such as a
wise old man The wise old man (also called senex, sage or sophos) is an archetype as described by Carl Jung, as well as a classic literary figure, and may be seen as a stock character. The wise old man can be a profound philosopher distinguished for wisdo ...
or elderly master, and sometimes even literally depicts the main character growing from a child into an adult as they learn their skills, as in '' Horizon Zero Dawn''. The latter type of tutorial presents the player with increasingly difficult enemies that demonstrate techniques required to overcome them. Other types of tutorials include slowly giving players information over the course of the entire game, as in the '' Legend of Zelda'' series. Game designers have also pointed out ways in which a game can be designed with tutorial elements without being obvious. In the original ''
Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...
'', ''
World 1-1 World 1-1 is the first level of '' Super Mario Bros.'', Nintendo's 1985 platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The level was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto to be a tutorial for new players, orienting them to platform jumping and to ...
'' is designed so that when the player jumps over the first enemy, they are likely to accidentally hit a question mark block, which teaches the player where power-ups come from. The first level in the original ''
Half-Life Half-life is a mathematical and scientific description of exponential or gradual decay. Half-life, half life or halflife may also refer to: Film * Half-Life (film), ''Half-Life'' (film), a 2008 independent film by Jennifer Phang * ''Half Life: ...
'' is often considered a tutorial in disguise. It has since become common to think of the first level of a game as a tutorial, whether or not they explicitly give players instructions. In essence, an easy level can act as a tutorial. In strategy games like ''
Age of Empires ''Age of Empires'' is a series of historical real-time strategy video games, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The first title in the series, ''Age of Empires'', focused on events in Europe, Afri ...
'', an entire single player campaign can be seen as a tutorial to prepare a player for multiplayer battle. Game designers have been critical of tutorial levels and recommend providing instructions during ordinary gameplay.
Playtest A playtest is the process by which a game designer tests a new game for bugs and design flaws before releasing it to market. Playtests can be run "open", "closed", "beta", or otherwise, and are very common with board games, collectible card games, ...
ing usually helps define what instructions a player needs as they begin a game. A common tutorial design is to provide instructions where a mechanic might be used, such as when the player gains a new item or ability. In several ''
The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...
'' games, the player has a fairy companion who provides tutorials and hints at key moments. In games like '' Stellaris'', tutorials take the form of elaborate tooltips, as well as occasional quests to nudge the player towards helpful actions. Tutorials can also be achieved by giving the player natural cues with intelligent use of
graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
. Some ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' games have re-appropriated film dialog as in-game hints about what the player needs to do. Games have also increasingly made use of video tutorials and wikis for players to review on their own time. Other games have broken the fourth wall with their tutorials, using them as a source of comedy or
parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
. Examples include '' Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon'', in which the main character demonstrates his annoyance at being forced to undergo a tutorial. Another example is in ''
Undertale ''Undertale'' is a 2015 role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical b ...
'' in which the tutorial character Toriel is named after tutorials and is shown to be literally holding the protagonist's hand the way a tutorial would.


Tutorials vs. discoverability

Some critics believe that a good tutorial should necessarily allow the player to discover game mechanics for themselves without being told how to do them, as is the case with the original ''
Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the power of the parasitic M ...
'', as well as ''
Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the ...
'', although the latter does have a set of tutorial worlds available on the Legacy Console Edition, varying based on the game version, that provide a more traditional tutorial to players who chose to use them.{{Cite web, title=Console Edition Tutorial Worlds, url=https://www.theminecraftarchitect.com/tutorial-worlds, access-date=2024-11-28, website=The Minecraft Architect, language=en-US


References

Video game terminology Usability