Intuitive game mechanics are those that players can understand and use easily, without needing too much explanation or trial and error. They make games more accessible, engaging, and satisfying. But how can you design game mechanics that are intuitive for your target audience? Here are some ways to consider.
One way to make game mechanics more intuitive is to use concepts that are familiar to your players, either from real life or from other games. For example, if your game involves shooting, you can use common controls and feedback that players expect from other shooters, such as aiming, reloading, and recoil. Or if your game involves crafting, you can use materials and recipes that make sense in your game world, such as wood, stone, and tools. Using familiar concepts can help players grasp the basic rules and goals of your game mechanics quickly and easily.
A/B testing can be incredibly insightful because the concept of “intuitive” can vary, by creating multiple variants of mechanics you can rapidly prototype versions of the mechanical feel you’re looking for. For example, if you’re debating between a double-jump and a wall-climb feature, a small internal A/B test can give you preliminary data on which is more engaging. Internal game jams offer another avenue for fast, iterative design. Condensed development cycles stimulate creativity and rapid prototyping, often leading to breakthroughs in intuitive design. Theory-crafting is also good. Engaging with existing theories on game mechanics can inform choices, making your design more aligned with established principles of player engagement.
The way I approach game design is to allow theme and mechanics to evolve organically together. Game mechanics that might seem intuitive in isolation may be confusing when presented in a different context or theme. For example, having to "reload" your magical staff after firing 10 Fireballs is not intuitive but drinking a mana potion when you run out of mana is. Yet these two interactions serve the same mechanical purpose. What I am trying to say is that the possibility space of intuitive mechanics in a game with a certain theme is not infinite.
Similarly, incorporating architectural concepts into game mechanics offers an intuitive approach as well. Utilizing principles like wayfinding or spatial psychology can enhance player intuition in navigating virtual environments, making the gameplay experience both unique and engaging. This principle is all about blending spatial understanding with game design's creativity.
Start with simplicity: every additional mechanic should feel like a natural extension, not a new syllabus. Familiarity is your ally; leverage existing conventions and expectations of your user base where possible. Playtest relentlessly. Observing players where your players react (and likely churn) will expose the friction points, allowing you to sand down the rough edges until the mechanics feel like second nature. Your aim is to create a -simple and clear- conversation between the game and the player, one where understanding deepens with every exchange.
This topic is more straightforward to approach if you consider the concept of Affordance: what actions are perceived by an individual for a given object? If you see a hammer in a game, it will give you ideas for what hammers are generally used for, such as hitting nails. It can also afford a more abstract understanding of "fixing" or "repairing". The same applies to settings and actions. Even though they are more abstract, given the context and environment they belong to, the easier it is for the user/player to perceive possible meanings. Besides that, nothing beats a good tutorial/on-boarding experience, regardless of how you approach it.
Another way to make game mechanics more intuitive is to provide clear feedback to your players, both visually and audibly. Feedback is the information that your game gives to the players to let them know the results of their actions and the state of the game. For example, if your game involves stealth, you can use feedback such as sound effects, icons, and meters to show the players how noisy they are, how visible they are, and how alert the enemies are. Providing clear feedback can help players understand the consequences and rewards of your game mechanics and adjust their strategies accordingly.
Feedback you give to the player should not just be clear, but also should come through several different chanels. Not just sound, visual or text alone. Instead game should react to players actions in several different ways. Different players will pick different cues.
Feedback is only as vital as it is clear. It should be clear what it means and what caused it. If a player sees a red dot on the screen, it should be clear what that red dot means and what is causing it. Improving the graphics and sound involved with the red dot feedback is not necessarily a means of improving the feedback it provides. Besides that, overloading your player with "feedback", especially considering its many forms, might make your game overwhelming and confusing.
A third way to make game mechanics more intuitive is to teach them through play, rather than through text or tutorials. Teaching through play means that you introduce your game mechanics gradually and organically, by letting the players discover them through experimentation and exploration. For example, if your game involves puzzles, you can start with simple and easy ones that teach the players the basic logic and mechanics of your game, and then increase the complexity and challenge as they progress. Teaching through play can help players learn your game mechanics by doing, rather than by reading or watching.
Founder @Rex
Teaching through play is absolutely the best way to make game mechanics more intuitive. This approach also leads to higher retention. Achieving that is not easy, however, because it requires a ton of user testing. Give the game to new players, with minimal instructions and observe them playing. Look for patterns of confusion amongst testers and pay attention to the questions they ask you. When the game is public you can observe streamers. I also recommend the use of narrative design structures such as Kishōtenketsu to introduce new content/systems in ways that make learning fun and natural. E.g. When potion crafting unlocks in Stone Story, the system is introduced progressively, instead of being dumped on the player at once.
One way to teach something, is blocking the player progress until they do the expected action. Metroidvanias do this all the time. You enter a room and fall, now your only way to go back is using a new power up.
Unlocking new skills as you level up is a good way to make your player learn one skill at a time. Imagine if they started the game and already have all the skills of the game. This would be overwhelming, but since you learnt each one at a time, it doesn't seem like a lot. This also makes the player feel progression through the game. Having new skills is also a good way to make levels, since you can teach the player about it after they earned it.
Teach the new mechanic in a safe environment and lock the player there until they discover how to use it. Metroidvanias do this a lot, but this isn't exclusive for them. When I mean teach, that doesn't mean technically literally saying what to do, this can be for example a new type of platform, that the player needs to understand how it works in order to progress.
Although learning by doing is indeed a good approach, it only applies to some things. Some games have simple and intuitive mechanics that can benefit from such an approach, but others are just too complex to be grasped adequately without using a more guided approach. Take Chess, for example. You will not learn to play Chess by just moving the pieces on the board. You need, at least, another knowledgeable player to teach you the rules and play with you. Undoubtedly, your retention of the rules will improve as you play Chess, but you could only have gotten there with proper instruction. Just so you know, complex mechanics are an option, and you do not need to refrain from them because you might need to introduce a tutorial.
A fourth way to make game mechanics more intuitive is to simplify and streamline them, by removing unnecessary or confusing elements and focusing on the core features and functions. Simplifying and streamlining your game mechanics means that you reduce the cognitive load and the learning curve for your players, by making your game easier to understand and play. For example, if your game involves inventory management, you can simplify and streamline it by limiting the number of items, categories, and slots, and by automating some actions, such as sorting, equipping, and selling. Simplifying and streamlining your game mechanics can help players focus on the fun and the challenge of your game, rather than on the clutter and the hassle.
As opposed to simplifying or streamlining, a good alternative is to provide both versions for the player. As some players prefer to quickly complete a task and jump back into what the were doing, some prefer a more methodical approach. Giving the player the option to play in their own way without one being considered too overpowered makes the overall experience better for everyone. A good example is having a crafting systems, but also the opportunity to collect most craftable items from certain enemies.
That is not a good general advice. Simplifying your game is often a good idea if your game's complexity is hindering it from achieving its purpose. If your game is meant to be entertainment and players cannot entertain themselves due to its complexity, sure, consider simplifying it. However, some of those points, such as limiting the number of items in an inventory or automating mechanics, are often game design decisions meant to empower the game's message. Do not simplify (or complexity) your game without considering how it impacts the game itself. Some game aspects and mechanics are meant to take time, energy, and focus away from the player, so their impact is meaningful.
A fifth way to make game mechanics more intuitive is to test and iterate them, by getting feedback from your target audience and improving your design based on their responses. Testing and iterating your game mechanics means that you validate your assumptions and hypotheses about what is intuitive for your players, by observing how they play your game and listening to their opinions and suggestions. For example, if your game involves platforming, you can test and iterate it by watching how your players jump, run, and climb, and by adjusting the controls, physics, and level design accordingly. Testing and iterating your game mechanics can help you fine-tune your game to match your players' expectations and preferences.
I mean, yes, test and iterate are at the core of every iterative design process. It is expensive to do so, especially with the target audience, and even worse if you do not have immediate access to such a target audience. Consider how you can make this process more efficient and how you can involve your target audience in the process soon and often.
Imagine every player coming in with their own story, their own way of thinking. That's why we test and test again. We find out where players are tripping up, and tweak things to make the game feel just right. When we get that perfect balance between what a player thinks and what the game offers? Magic happens. That's when a game goes from being 'okay' to something you can't forget.