Instructions and feedback in connection with the duration and the level of difficulty of a serious game

Abstract

The paper presents a study about the role of instructions and feedback within serious games in connection with the duration and with the level of difficulty of the game. Short and simple serious games can require to minimize instructions and feedback that otherwise risk to be perceived as obstructive for the game experience. Results obtained from a sample of 54 people show that both instructions and feedback are significantly linked to the expressed adequacy of the level of difficulty of the game. The expressed adequacy of the duration of the game has a significant role in mediating the relationship between the judgment on instructions and on the adequacy of the level of difficulty. The conclusion is that inadequate instructions and feedback are likely to be counterproductive, and they must be designed taking into account the duration and the level of difficulty of the game.