Talk:Tutorial (video games)

Disambiguate tutorial for human player, AI player, and NPC AI.

Particularly wondering about degree to which NPC are self-aware of the real world in their learning process. Wesxdz (talk) 17:31, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

Tutorials vs. discoverability

While Metroid does not have a tutorial, it does come with a manual. Not only does the manual suggest that players read it, but it also encourages them to use it as a reference. The manual covers the interface, controls, game mechanics, story, player objectives, monsters, bosses, items, and provides gameplay tips. It also encourages players to draw their own map, as the one in the manual is not very detailed. Finally, the manual is called an “instruction booklet,” a term that carries more weight than “manual.”

The game does teach players certain things implicitly, but the article only gives one example. If the author of the article advocates this method, it is most likely because he has never read the manual, assuming he has played the game. But he should not perpetuate the myth that nothing was explained at the time.

We can therefore see a certain degree of subjectivity and disagreement on this subject. How games should be designed and played.

The case of Minecraft is also more complicated than it seems. Many players have probably discovered the game with the help of other players or by consulting information sources on the internet. So yes, perhaps some people discovered things on their own, especially the very first players, but that overlooks a whole way of discovering the game.

We must therefore remember that there are several ways to learn how to play a game: tutorials, guides, manuals, a companion, explicit but not textual, implicit teaching, discovery, etc.

The Wikipedia article defines tutorials as follows: a tutorial is any tool that teaches player or non-player characters[1] the rules, control interface, and mechanics of the game.

Thus, a manual would be a tutorial, but it is not commonly accepted as such. However, the two share a common function.

It is also important to take into account the technical limitations of the time. Would even a tutorial be feasable at the time on a NES for this game? It takes some memory and should then be translated, but games were mostly not translated (an english with a dutch-french manual for example) at the time, only the manuals.

Games have also evolved considerably, often with more buttons and therefore more button combinations. This is the case with Metroid Dread in the same series. Making the player search for the combination to use each new object does not necessarily seem like a good idea.

We must also understand that text and implicit stuff can be mixed inside the same game and that it is most often the case. The problem is, we most likely notice text, but not what's implicit. And also what you know because it's not your first game.

As a final note, as it is, I am affraid that relaying the opinion of this person on Metroid might give a misrepresentation of the games of the time, even though it is true that there is a debate of opinions on the subject of tutorials and the article shows it. Nidomy (talk) 06:40, 24 July 2025 (UTC)