Today I played a game – a mainstream, top-drawer narrative affair. In it, a mysterious figure whose name I can’t remember told me to go somewhere and kill someone, and while they explained why it was important, I wasn’t paying attention and I still don’t know. I went and did it anyway. I wasn’t paying attention but, thankfully for the oversight committee, my protagonist was.
The weird thing is that this game doesn’t seem to that I don’t know why I’m doing whataspect of this game cares about me and my progress: if I don’t understand the combat system, it pops up little reminders. If I don’t traverse correctly, I fall. If I need to do a thing in the world to reduce a Bad Stat, then any time I’m near that thing, the UI wiggles like a dog that needs to go outside. Every mechanic is introduced, highlighted, taught, reminded and reinforced.
