Teach by doing, just in time — not with front-loaded walls of text
GDC-L1-UX-000101
Statement
Teach a mechanic when the player needs it, through action, not in a front-loaded wall of text or a mandatory tutorial gauntlet. Introduce one thing at a time, in context, and let the player learn by doing. Information delivered before it's needed overloads working memory and is forgotten before it's used.
02
Rationale
Working memory is small and short-lived, so a tutorial that front-loads a dozen controls and rules exceeds the player's capacity to hold them — most of it evaporates before the first real use [S-hodent-gamers-brain]. Learning sticks when it's active (the player does the thing) and timely (taught at the moment of need, so it's immediately reinforced by use). This is the UX/cognitive complement to teaching through space (LEVEL-0004) and the mastery arc (PROG-0005): those shape what order to teach in; this insists on how — in small, contextual, doing-based doses rather than a lecture up front. Fun is learning (DESIGN-0003), and learning by playing is far more effective (and more fun) than learning by reading.
03
Applies when
Onboarding and the introduction of any mechanic, control, or system. Highest-value in the opening hour, where first impressions and drop-off are decided.
04
Does not apply / Exceptions
Some complexity genuinely needs explicit reference (deep strategy/sim games, complex control schemes) — the fix there is an accessible, optional reference the player can consult, not a forced lecture. Genre conventions vary: a hardcore sim audience tolerates (even expects) a manual; a broad-audience game cannot. And "just in time" still needs the teaching to arrive before failure, not after.
05
Implementation
Break teaching into single-concept, in-context moments triggered by need. Prefer showing and doing over telling. Make any necessary text short, skippable, and re-accessible. Avoid the unskippable tutorial wall. Test onboarding with true first-time players and watch where they overload or forget (PLAYTEST-0001/0003).
06
Disagreement
Guided just-in-time onboarding (accessible, low-overload) vs. manual/upfront instruction (thorough, suits complex or hardcore games) vs. discovery-first (teach nothing, let players find out).
07
Notes
The cognitive/onboarding angle on teaching, complementing the spatial (LEVEL-0004) and pacing (PROG-0005) angles. Feeds cognitive-load management (UX-0002). Confidence 4.
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Connected principles
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