When “easy mode” isn’t enough: An analysis of unclear lessons in video games

Enlarge / Even the most renowned video games don't teach their players as well as we all assume, according to a surprisingly comprehensive video cited in this article. (credit: Aurich Lawson)

For years, we at Ars Technica have discussed how the video game industry might benefit from tearing down its oldest traditions. This November's Death Stranding will ship with a "very easy" mode, and that inspired us to wonder whether other video games should do the same thing. And we loved how the Halo: Master Chief Collection launched in 2014 with an option to hop to any moment within its multi-game library. That prompted us to suggest that more games should let their owners flip to any "page" in a game as they please instead of forcing players to earn their way via challenge.

This week, a gaming and pop-culture critique channel on YouTube looked at the existential question of "video game access" from a wholly different perspective: a year-long analysis of an adult trying video games for the first time in her life. The results, as posted by the channel Razbuten, have been embedded below, and the 20-minute analysis is fascinating on both a macro and micro level.

Even Mario could learn a thing or two

"What Games Are Like For Someone Who Doesn't Play Games," posted by YouTube channel Razbuten.

Instead of calling the video "I made my wife suffer through video games for her first time ever," Razbuten opted for a title that speaks to the inherent learning curve for anyone new to the hobby. "What Games Are Like For Someone Who Doesn't Play Games" came as a result of a full year of the host's wife testing nine video games she'd never played before: Super Mario Bros., Celeste, Shovel Knight, Portal, Doom (2016), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Last of Us, Uncharted 2, and Dark Souls.

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