how players prefer to learn a new game and has found that some players, typically
males, prefer to try out and experiment with each game mechanic as it is introduced.
Thus, allowing players to try out new mechanics in a safe space is very important.
Half-Lifedid this particularly well, with an introduction to the game that provided a safe
yet interesting environment and allowed players to become accustomed to the controls
without immediately threatening them. The originalPrince of Persiawas another game
that was particularly good at introducing challenges to players in a way that taught them
through example instead of by punishing them. For instance, when the players first
encounter a breakaway floor inPrince of Persia, falling through it is non-lethal. Simi-
larly, spikes are introduced in such a way that players are very likely to notice them and
to be able to survive them. Subsequent encounters with spikes will not be so forgiving,
but by then players have learned of the threat they pose to their game-world character,
and if they are clever they will be able to survive them.
During this learning period in the game, it is important to reward players for even
the simplest of accomplishments. This makes players feel that, indeed, they are on the
right track with the game and encourages them to keep playing. It is true that players
do not want their games to be too simple and too unchallenging, but punishing them for
blunders from the very start of the game is not the right way to produce this challenge.
The key is to give players success early on, to draw them into the game, to make them
think that they know what the game is all about, and that they are better than it. “Ha-ha,
this game is easy! I rule!” they may say. And then, when the game becomes suddenly
more challenging, players will already have been drawn into the game and will be much
more likely to see the challenge as a reasonable one, one that they can surely over-
come. After all, this game is easy, right?
Tutorials .................................
Recently, many complex games have started introducing players to the gaming world
through a tutorial level that exists outside of the game-world proper. Players can access
this tutorial world through the main menu as an alternative to starting a “real” game.
These tutorial levels are generally a good idea and are certainly an improvement over
teaching players about the game in the manual. The tutorial levels do one of the things
128 Chapter 7: The Elements of Gameplay
Prince of Persiacarefully
taught the player what to
expect of traps such as
collapsing floors and
sharp spikes.