Question

I am thinking about how users can learn to perform complex tasks in programs and wonder if I can learn something from computer games.

What games do you think have good in-game tutorials to teach the player how to play?

Are there other good ways to teach the user how to perform tasks?

I would also like to know if you think that in-game tutorials are a bad idea, provided that you have a reason.

Note: I am not looking for tutorials on implementing games.

Answer 1

I have been a tester and a producer for EA mobile in the last 3 years and about 1 year and a half ago I was wondering the same thing. Looking at what it is on the market now I would recommend WoW because:
1) About 3/4 of the game is easy enough not to get you bored as a new player and not to get you killed. The rest of 1/4 is more lethal.
2) Since the first level until the last (level 85 at the moment) on every level the user receives something (either a talent point or a new ability).
3) The advanced aspects (such as Glyphs which help you customize your spells) are received 3 times during the leveling process.
4) The whole leveling requires a bit over a month for a new casual player. After 1 month of mind-numbing killing the user considers that experience worth-wile because he is so close on being good according to his standards (so close of getting in a guild, of receiving some good items, of buying an expensive mount, pvp etc).

Proper implementations:
1) No user wants to watch a 10 minutes video of a tutorial regardless of his task/game. In games at lest the best way is to have short films of about 3-10 seconds in which you show him what to do with it. After that the user is put in the situation of doing it.
The best mathematics scheme I came up with, but I did not manage to implement yet, was to divide the basic movements of the game or program tasks in 3 short films let’s say (movement, attack, equipping items). As those 3 are completed 1 by 1 the user is requested to perform 2 intermediary tasks (move+attack and attack+equip or move+equip depends on what you game is based on). At the end he will be introduced to a simulated danger scenario (a boss or a data loss) at the end of which loot (bonus) will be involved.

2) The user needs to be able to skip the tutorial. Regardless of how much you have worked to implement your tutorial I may not be interested at the moment, but after 30 minutes of action I will restart the game just for your tutorial and intro film because is worth it.