Industry veterans recommend delivering instructions in small, digestible segments, introducing them only after the action has begun, and favoring contextual gameplay prompts over long-winded opening tutorials.
Itchie, a former programmer and producer with a background at Square and SNK, highlighted a common pitfall in tutorial design:
While working on mobile games, I noticed significant player churn and initially tried to solve it by adding more explanations. However, log analysis revealed that players simply don’t read instructions. The high abandonment rate wasn’t due to confusion, but because players were forced to wait too long before they could actually take control.
After shortening the tutorial by just 30 seconds, player retention metrics saw a noticeable improvement.
Developer Simaguni Yamato shared a similar perspective:
Managers frequently demand more explanations, but it is far better to let players experience the fun immediately. Tutorials should be integrated mid-game in small increments, clearly separating core mechanics from secondary details.
Hiroyuki Matsumoto emphasized the importance of brevity:
Players simply want to dive into the game and generally dislike educational materials. Even if you explain the basics upfront, people rarely retain them. All you really need are visual cues, like a red circle for hints, and quick prompts right before a crucial action.
Alwei from Indie-us Games pointed to Nintendo’s philosophy as a benchmark:
Players rarely read instructions and never actively seek them out. […] Nintendo demonstrates mastery by teaching controls through organic gameplay, as seen in Ocarina of Time and Donkey Kong. This represents the gold standard of player education.
Source: iXBT.games