Seeing Action

Games are meant to be played. Most modern videogames, however, are complex spaces full of dynamic images and shifting goals; navigating these complex spaces is challenging for players as they must learn how to act in order to succeed. How do the designers of a videogame support players’ learning and using the game? What resources can designers call upon to help players actually play the game? Using the massively-multiplayer game World of Warcraft, I contend that there are two primary visual methods designers use: the orientational structures of the interface itself and the interface's just-in-time/on-demand nature. Through these structures, the designers teach a player what and when information is salient in order for the player to take action and “do” the game as well as provide spaces for players to learn to master the game itself.