When I was 13, my mom bought me Civilization III from a retail shop, then went on to do some more shopping. I stayed in the car, with this elegant box in my hands, craving to play the game it contained. I opened the box, and there discovered something magical: the Civilization III Manual. Having nothing better to do, I started reading it…
More than 20 years later, I still remember how great reading that book felt. I was propelled into the game, learning about its systems and strategies, discovering screens of foggy maps and world wonders. It made me love the game before I had even played it! Since then I've played all Civilization games that came out — including Humankind, the unofficial 7th episode — and loved all of them.
Would I have had the same connection to these games had I not read the manual? Impossible to tell. Would I have read that book had I not been trapped in a car with the game box on my laps? Definitely not! Even the developers of the game knew that nobody was reading those texts:
“The authors and developers of computer games know too well that most players never read the manual.”
Here's me now, 20-something years later, having made a game of my own and needing to teach it to potential players… Should I write a full-blown game manual, hoping that a little 13-years old will read it on a parking lot?
…
You'll find the answer to this question, and the rest of this story, right there on my blog! 😃
Add comment