that computers do best: provide an interactive learning experience. These levels tend
to lead players by the hand through the game’s mechanics, teaching them what they
will need to know bit by bit. Sheri Graner Ray has found that some players, typically
females, tend to prefer actually being led through the game for a bit until they get the
hang of it, and structured tutorial levels are perfect for this. The one problem with tuto-
rial levels is that they are seldom much fun to play, and as a result many players will skip
them and head straight for the actual game. Beyond the learning of the controls, there is
often little of interest in them. There is a feeling among players that the tutorial level is
not part of the “real” game, and many players want to start playing this “real” game as
soon as possible. If the designer includes a tutorial level because she wants to make her
game difficult from the very beginning and avoid teaching players how to play through
the gameplay, players who skip the tutorial will become frustrated. Tutorial levels are
good for players who want that sort of educational prelude to the game, but they must
not replace making the beginning of the game itself somewhat of a well-disguised tuto-
rial that is easy to play. Again,Half-Lifeprovided a tutorial level that taught players
about the game-world, but the tutorial worked in conjunction with the beginning of the
actual game itself, which was quite easy to play and had a friendly learning curve. Of
course, making the tutorial level as entertaining as possible goes a long way toward
encouraging players to actually play it.Deus Exmade some improvements on this front,
setting the tutorial firmly in the game-world fiction and then having the training unex-
pectedly malfunction toward its end, suddenly thrusting players into a threatening
situation.Halotook this same concept and executed it particularly elegantly without
making the level feel like a tutorial level at all. Players were only stuck in a strange
state for a brief time at the very start while they became accustomed to using the
two-analog-stick control scheme. Then, suddenly, the spaceship the player character is
on is overrun by hostile aliens. The first level players then play introduces them to the
game’s mechanics one by one in an area that looks dangerous but is actually pretty safe.
Here was a training level completely camouflaged in the game-world that was a good
deal of fun to play.
Chapter 7: The Elements of Gameplay 129
Deus Exintegrated its
training into the game
fiction in a very
believable way.