Jenn aSide wrote:So I want to know, what makes you come to the conclusion "but giving players nothing can be equally as damaging". How did you learn this?
Very fair question and I am happy to answer it as best as I can. This is a longish post so apologies for the length.
I am basing my belief from my experiences as a teacher, educational consultant, and educational designer. I have experience using games to teach science, economics, and environmental consciousness. A large chunk of that experience is also teaching my students how to play the games themselves. I am also required to have a strong knowledge of learning theory, instructional design, and cognitive psychology.
As an example, I recently consulted with a museum who was looking to use Minecraft to teach microbiology content for one of their science classes. In the design of our curriculum and activities, we had to account for the fact that our student population will be comprised of Minecraft experts, novices, and newbies (of which our evaluations supported). Not to mention each student would have their own set of learning preferences.
So, what documentation, tutorials, or materials do you give the students? We experimented a little bit with how much up-front information we gave to the students before asking them to complete the activities.
For activities where we provided minimal, if any, documentation (e.g. hand-outs, lectures, or videos) and instead relied on student experts or teacher facilitation to help guide newcomers, we found that many of the students (especially the new players) became frustrated more easily because 1) While the learning goal was clear, how to accomplish it was not; 2) How to progress was unclear; 3) They did not feel confident in their knowledge. Many of these students were also requesting additional materials or help to reduce the cognitive overload they were experiencing.
When we provided a healthy balance of anchored instruction (Class, direct your attention to the projector... Here's how to do X which will help you build/work on Y), teacher facilitation (e.g. cycle around the classroom and ask students if they wanted help), and student collaboration/group work, we hit every possible approach that aligned with student learning preferences. If students wanted how-to guides we gave them upon request, if a student wanted to explore the environment on their own we gave them the freedom to do so, etc.
This is why I feel giving players no information (or very minimal) can be damaging. You don't want players to feel frustrated and overwhelmed when learning the very basics of the game. You want them to be frustrated during the entertaining parts such as when their ships got blown up, they couldn't kill their target, or their alliance sovereignty was removed. Those are the motivating experiences to continue playing and the gifts that keep on giving.
Giving users a clear baseline learning experience then allows them to learn in a way that aligns with their preferences (the creativity and storytelling that you talk about). Some will want to read guides, some want to play with others to learn, and some will watch videos, and a few others will journal about their experiences. What is important is that you're offering players a springboard to get started; not a crutch.
I am not asking for the in-game tutorials to provide encyclopedic knowledge. For one, that would be incredibly overwhelming and frustrating, but it also, and to which I agree with you, really stifles creativity. I just feel clearer and more directed information couldn't hurt (e.g. "If you'd like additional resources on fitting your ship, please go here, or go to this channel, or watch this in-game video", or Press F12 for career agents, here's a basic ship setup, etc.).
I hope this clearly answers your question and that it makes sense.
Thank you for the discussion!
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