This paper sought to understand how onboarding should be designed for a low-complexity game that favours implicit instructions. Low-complexity games are defined as having a low number of mechanics with predictable gameplay. This may make explicit instructions less applicable for onboarding players in those types of games, as players may have a more enjoyable experience learning the game with higher agency. Currently, there is a lack of studies focusing on the subject of onboarding in low-complexity games. This paper aims to contribute findings to the topic, which may prove relevant for game designers seeking to design viable onboarding methods for their low-complexity games. For this study, we conducted research through design. We iterated our own low-complexity game, The Social Grip, over three playtests. The changes were motivated by the results presented during each playtest and iterated within the cognitive load and feedback systems framework. We found that in low-complexity games, it is important to also keep the environment low in complexity to ensure players notice intentionally designed landmarks or breadcrumbs. Finally, we concluded that explicit instructions may be usable in areas that implicit instructions cannot cover, such as teaching players keyboard shortcuts.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-531859 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Hatzl, Anna, Hedberg, Ottilia, Keramidas, Ilias, Mardunovich, Daniel, Jankovic, Bozidar |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för speldesign |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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