This document discusses lessons that can be learned from video game tutorials to create better help systems. It provides 11 hints for designing effective tutorials, such as creating an interactive narrative scenario to teach concepts, using minimal text and dubbing instructions, gradually introducing new mechanics, having a mentor character, and allowing users to skip parts if experienced. The key ideas are to make tutorials immersive, interactive, and fun rather than boring and text-heavy in order to effectively teach users how to accomplish basic tasks in a new system or game.

1. LEARN FROM VIDEO GAMES
AND CREATE BETTER
HELP SYSTEMS
1
dr. Ingrida Mažonavičiūtė| January, 2018 @ FRESH

2. Short BIO.
UX
RESEACHER
GAME
DESIGN LECTURER

4. GAME UX
How EASY
user LEARN to
accomplish
basic tasks
the FIRST time
they see it?
LEARNABILITY?
Why these HOW TO
videos are so
popular?

5. GAME UX
How EASY
user LEARN to
accomplish
basic tasks
the FIRST time
they see it?
Users do hate tutorials that are
heavy with text, boring and take a
long time to complete.
But they usually like tutorials shown
at the right time in the right place

6. According to Wikipedia TUTORIAL is:
(...) a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a
learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture,
a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to
complete a certain task.

7. The PC Mag Encyclopedia defines TUTORIAL
as:
(...) an instructional book or program that takes the user through a
prescribed sequence of steps in order to learn a product.

9. HINT 1. Create a narrative scenario in which
teaching makes sense..
• Create a narrative scenario in which teaching makes sense in
the game world
• Try to incorporate anything you see or hear into the logic of
the game world

10. HINT 2. Tutorial should be interactive
“The player should play through the actions they
have to learn. This not only creates a better
experience for the player, but it also ensures that
they actually understood what the tutorial was trying
to convey.

11. HINT 3. Make learning fun

12. HINT 4. And..don’t do learning confusing
TOP LEFT ICON
OR
TOP RIGHT ICON?

13. OH,
I FOUND
IT!

15. HINT 5. Don’t front-load your tutorial..

17. If you front-load your tutorial..
1. Users will be overwhelmed with information
2. Users will be under-supplied with engagement.
3. User will forget a big part of the presented information
4. Users might get bored and either start rushing through it,
skip over it entirely or simply turn the game off in disgust.

18. Instead long front-load tutorials do this…

19. HINT 6. Use as little text as possible and dub as
much of it as possible
“There should be a maximum of eight words on the
screen at any given moment.” (George Fan, Plants vs.
Zombies)
“Text is a terrible way to deliver a tutorial. It kills
pacing, it destroys immersion and it’ll often be
skipped by the very players that need the tutorial the
most“.

20. Short front-load, short instructions (8 words) ,
suitable visuals

22. HINT 7. Reduce the possibilities of action to not
overwhelm the player and add mechanics one at a time..

23. Give instructions only when they are relevant

24. HINT 8. Have a mentor character teaching the game

27. HINT 9. Determine which parts have to be explained
and which the player can figure out by themselves

28. HINT 10. Let the player make mistakes in a safe
environment first and learn at their own pace

29. HINT 11. Make it possible to skip or rush through
parts of the tutorials, if the user is experienced

30. A tutorial is an interactive scenario that equips
the player with the knowledge and mindset to
understand the game world and how to apply
those to different situations.

31. For the ideas thanks to:
1. Zein Okko „Playful Teaching: How to Create Fun and Immersive
Tutorials“
2. School of game design „How to make a good video game tutorial“
3. Ernest Adams „The Designer's Notebook: Eight Ways To Make a
Bad Tutorial“

32. Let’s discuss IT
dr. Ingrida Mažonavičiūtė| January, 2018| Lithuania