My Game Died Because My Tutorial Read Like the Tax Code

My Game Died Because My Tutorial Read Like the Tax Code

I poured my heart and soul into my game. It was innovative, challenging, and, frankly, I thought it was brilliant. Then the reviews came in, and the player retention numbers tanked. The culprit? The tutorial. It was so bad, so dense, and so utterly devoid of joy that it choked the life out of my game before players even reached the good parts. I’m here to tell you how I screwed up and, more importantly, how you can avoid my mistakes.

The Wall of Text: My First Mistake

I thought I was being thorough. I documented every game mechanic, every nuance, every hidden feature. I packed it all into a massive wall of text that assaulted the player the moment they launched the game. It was like dropping someone into a foreign country and immediately handing them a phone book-sized dictionary.

No one reads that. No one wants to read that.

Players want to play. They want to explore. They want to learn by doing, not by memorizing a laundry list of rules. My tutorial treated them like passive recipients of information, not active participants in a game world.

I remember watching a streamer play my game. After five minutes of reading the tutorial pop-ups, they audibly sighed and said, “This is just… too much.” Then they quit. That moment still haunts me.

Agency? What’s Agency?

My tutorial didn’t give players any choice. It was a linear, pre-scripted experience. Click here, move there, press this button. There was no room for experimentation, no room for discovery. It was a glorified slideshow disguised as a tutorial.

I robbed the player of their agency. I treated them like they were stupid. In reality, most players are pretty smart. They’re capable of figuring things out if you give them the opportunity. My tutorial didn’t give them that opportunity. It dictated every move, every action, every thought.

Consider a game like Breath of the Wild. It throws you into a vast world with minimal instruction. You’re free to explore, experiment, and learn the game mechanics at your own pace. That’s empowering. My tutorial was the opposite of empowering.

Learning By Osmosis: Not a Thing

I assumed that players would somehow absorb all the information I was throwing at them. I thought that by simply presenting the rules, they would magically understand them. This is like assuming someone will learn to swim by reading a book about swimming.

Learning is an active process. It requires practice, repetition, and feedback. My tutorial provided none of those things. It was a one-way street, with information flowing from me to the player, and no opportunity for them to engage with the material.

Spaced repetition is a powerful learning technique. Introduce a concept, let the player use it, then reintroduce it later in a slightly different context. This helps solidify the knowledge and make it more memorable. I completely ignored this.

Diegetic Explanation: The Holy Grail

The best tutorials are diegetic. That means the explanations are woven into the game world in a natural and believable way. Think of a friendly NPC who offers advice, or a series of challenges that gradually introduce new mechanics.

My tutorial was anything but diegetic. It was a series of jarring pop-up boxes that pulled the player out of the game world. It felt like I was breaking the fourth wall every few seconds.

Games like Portal are masters of diegetic tutorials. The puzzles themselves teach you the game mechanics. You learn by doing, not by reading. That’s the gold standard.

Onboarding Done Right: Lessons Learned

After my initial disaster, I went back to the drawing board. I completely redesigned my tutorial, focusing on the following principles:

• Less is more: Cut the amount of text by at least 75%. Focus on the essential mechanics, and let players discover the rest on their own.
• Give players control: Let them choose which aspects of the game to learn first. Offer optional tutorials for more advanced mechanics.
• Make it interactive: Incorporate challenges and puzzles that require players to use the mechanics they’re learning.
• Use diegetic explanations: Find ways to explain the game mechanics within the game world itself.
• A/B test everything: Try different tutorial approaches and see which ones result in higher player retention.

One concrete thing I changed was using environmental storytelling through graffiti to explain some basic movement options. Instead of a wall of text, players saw a quick visual representation, tried it, and were able to move forward with that in their skill set.

The results were dramatic. Player retention increased significantly. The reviews improved. People actually started enjoying my game.

A/B Testing: Your Secret Weapon

Don’t assume you know what works. A/B test different tutorial approaches and see which ones perform best. Track player drop-off rates, completion rates, and feedback. Use this data to iterate and improve your tutorial over time.

Tools like Unity Analytics or PlayFab can help you track player behavior and identify areas where players are struggling. Use these tools to your advantage.

For instance, I experimented with different voice-over styles for my NPC guide, and found that a more humorous and self-aware tone resonated better with players.

Respect Your Players

Ultimately, the key to a good tutorial is to respect your players. Don’t treat them like they’re stupid. Don’t overwhelm them with information. Don’t rob them of their agency.

Trust them to figure things out. Give them the tools they need to succeed, and then get out of their way. Let them explore, experiment, and discover the joy of your game.

My game almost died because my tutorial read like the tax code. Don’t let that happen to you. Learn from my mistakes, and create a tutorial that actually enhances the player experience, rather than detracting from it. Your game will thank you for it.