Gaming is a language, and like any language there is a culture built around it which is run by unspoken rules and norms. Take for example the game controller: I was a Nintendo kid who started on the original NES all the way up through the Wii. You can trace Nintendo's design philosophy through their controller design - the buttons, all letter-based, use similar layouts, with the A button being the primary action button, followed by B and so on. This allows for Nintendo users to pick up virtually any game and rely on this muscle memory to dive in quickly.
When I purchased my first PlayStation console a few years ago I had to completely start from scratch. With their shape-based button system, I had a much larger barrier to entry, even with games I had been playing for years on other systems.
Similarly, different genres of games have their own language. For fans of the first person shooter genre it's almost second nature to check dead bodies for loot. In an action game you don't bother checking a door with a bunch of boxes in front of it, because you know it can't be opened. Is there a wall covered in vines in an open world game? You can probably climb it. So on and so forth.
This sort of visual language is often not something that is explicitly communicated to players. Some games might do a better job of tutorializing their experience, but for many first time players, these visual clues can feel abstract and overwhelming.
These are things I've noticed over the years when trying to introduce friends to some of my most beloved games. For example, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a very forgiving game compared to many of its contemporaries. With so many systems to aid the player like auto aim, quest markers, extensive map system, and myriad button prompts, it leaves little space for guesswork. Still, when I passed the controller to my partner (someone with very little gaming experience) simple button cues like "press Y to interact" caused them to freeze up and become frustrated. This experience is just a small example of a much larger challenge.
As the video game industry continues to grow in popularity, overtaking even Hollywood in size, I'm curious at how we can continue to bring new people into the community. New players mean new types of games. New types of games hopefully mean less remakes, sequels, and open-world clones that are shipped too fast and sold for too much money.
A few closing questions:
How can game designers and consoles help bring new players into the fold?
If something as simple as controller design can act as a barrier to entry, maybe there are ways for games to help ease this tension. I'm also curious about how controller design affects accessibility for differently abled players.
In your opinion, what are some of the best in-game tutorials?
I'm especially interested in games that integrate these sequences into the narrative without breaking the fourth wall. (Fallout 3's tutorial that has you play as a small child learning to walk comes to mind.)
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