Response to an overheard conversation

This post is the result of a conversation that I couldn't help but overhear during the break in the Wednesday lecture. I overheard someone saying how they would be put off playing some games because they would 'probably have to spend 5 hours reading a manual' which would explain how they actually play the game. I’ve played computer games since I was 4ish (end of the 80s) so I found this as a surprising statement, since I don’t recall even seeing a game guide (other than a control map) in several years, and tend to be able to pick up game controls almost instantaneously. I initially put this down to my long association with video games and having learnt one game you tend to know them all.

I now realise that this can also be a result of a conscious evolution of gaming interfaces by developers to maintain a consistent set of controls for their games. As we have learnt in discussions on immersion, it is important not to allow the interface to be a barrier to immersion, since any kind of disruption to play breaks immersion by bringing the players own physical reality back into frame, the controls need to be kept understandable or simple to serve as an extension of the person. Most game interfaces have appeared fairly natural to me, in part this is learned behaviour but also there is an evolution in the game play which gives opportunity to learn the interface whilst not drawing attention to your lack of interface knowledge.

Most contemporary games start out the game with an in-game tutorial which also serves as the opening act; the complexity of play is generally ramped up gradually as to keep the player engaged but not frustrated. The best sequence in recent memory that illustrates this is Fallout 3, where the game starts with your birth, and then as a toddler you are asked to walk around and pick up a ball, this is facilitated by on screen prompts saying “press W to move forward”. So the game has created a situation where you can be situationally immersed but simultaneously learning how your avatar is controlled, whilst not drawing attention to your lack of knowledge of the controls.

I think it's interesting how these changes have come about, especially the manner in which newer games drive the immersion by keeping the player engaged whilst teaching them how the game works. I do worry though whether this kind of consistent technological adaptation prevents the development of newer physical interfaces, whilst the console and handheld markets have shown huge changes in the last decade, this is yet to reach the PC market (in fact there's always the myth floating around that PC gaming is dead).

I also question whether the new interfaces (motion control, either using photodetection or a wireless device) actually offer the improvements that they claim. Many of the most interesting and radical uses of this technology are coming from hackers rather than the developers themselves, see below, adaption of Xbox Kinect to play Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

I may have to return to edit this as it is 1am and I have work in 4 hours. :)