Over-Tutorialization and the Loss of Discovery
MechanicsComments
Manuals weren't always the gold standard. Many of those early guides were mostly flavor text and provided very little actual mechanical instruction compared to a modern prompt.
I disagree that this is happening in most AAA titles. Recent immersive sims still lean heavily on the player figuring out the environment without a blinking arrow.
This is just the second phase of the death of the game manual. We traded a physical reference book for these intrusive pop-ups.
This trend reflects a broader shift toward 'time to value' metrics in UX design. Developers are optimizing the first 30 minutes of play to prevent early churn, which often results in the over-explaining you mentioned.
The rise of platinum trophy culture might be the driver here. If a player misses a core mechanic and fails a specific achievement, it often leads to complaints about 'confusing design' rather than an appreciation for discovery.
That is a fascinating point... but do you think the achievement systems themselves are the root cause? Does the pressure to '100%' a game fundamentally change how mechanics are introduced?
The silver lining is that this approach makes complex genres more inviting. It allows people who didn't grow up with controllers to enjoy these worlds without the frustration of a steep learning curve.
The post ignores the role of toggleable UI. Many of these prompts are optional settings that players simply leave on by default.