game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit

Name: game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit
Author: Stanestane

34stars3forks

How to install game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit?

stanestane/game-design-skills-bundle/game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit

$npx -y skills add Stanestane/game-design-skills-bundle --skill game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Audit a game's FTUE (First Time User Experience) through the lens of the Hero's Journey / monomyth. Use when reviewing onboarding, tutorial flow, first-session retention, first 30 seconds, early-session emotional hooks, mentor/tutorial character usage, first meaningful action, or

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Game Design FTUE Hero's Journey Audit
2
3	Audit the FTUE as if the player is the hero of a story.
4
5	Use this skill to evaluate whether a game's onboarding creates emotional connection, delivers a compelling call to adventure, introduces guidance in a motivating way, and gives the player an early moment of meaningful control. This is not just a tutorial audit. It is an audit of the player's first heroic arc.
6
7	## Core principle
8
9	The purpose of FTUE is not merely to explain controls.
10	The deeper purpose is to create an emotional connection and make the player feel like the hero of their own story.
11
12	## Audit lens
13
14	Focus on these stages:
15	1. Part 0 / Framing - Is the FTUE treated broadly as the first meaningful arc, not just a tutorial?
16	2. Call to Adventure - Does the game quickly establish why this world, fantasy, or challenge is worth entering?
17	3. Meeting the Mentor - Does the game provide emotional guidance, framing, and useful gifts without drowning the player?
18	4. Crossing the Threshold - Does the player get to take meaningful action with enough autonomy and competence to feel good?
19
20	## What to produce
21
22	Generate:
23	1. FTUE scope - what span of the experience is being audited
24	2. Hero's Journey stage review - strengths and weaknesses by stage
25	3. Psychological need check - autonomy, competence, relatedness where relevant
26	4. Drop-risk diagnosis - where the FTUE is likely to lose players
27	5. Recommendations - what to cut, pace, reframe, or strengthen
28
29	## Process
30
31	### 1. Define the FTUE scope
32	Clarify:
33	- what counts as the FTUE in this game
34	- whether the audit covers first 30 seconds, first session, or several early sessions
35	- where the player is most likely to bounce
36
37	### 2. Audit the broad framing
38	Ask:
39	- is FTUE treated only as a control tutorial, or as the player's first arc with the game?
40	- does the experience aim to build emotional investment?
41	- does the flow respect the player's time and attention?
42	- are early retention risks acknowledged in the design?
43
44	### 3. Audit the Call to Adventure
45	Ask:
46	- does the game establish an inviting fantasy, promise, or problem quickly?
47	- does the player understand why they should care?
48	- is there a strong emotional hook before explanation overload begins?
49	- how much friction appears before meaningful interaction?
50	- are there blockers such as large downloads, mandatory account creation, intrusive popups, or heavy exposition?
51
52	Look for:
53	- fast entry into meaningful interaction
54	- minimal pre-play friction
55	- emotional hooks over yellow-arrow obedience
56	- intrigue, mood, and promise without infodump
57
58	### 4. Audit Meeting the Mentor
59	Ask:
60	- is there a mentor figure, guide, or equivalent framing device?
61	- does it create emotional connection or just dump instructions?
62	- does the guide explain only what matters now?
63	- does the player receive meaningful starter gifts, tools, or framing?
64	- is the mentor reused effectively for later mini-FTUE moments?
65
66	Look for:
67	- empathic or authoritative guidance
68	- gift-giving that feels magical, useful, and motivating
69	- character or framing that helps the world feel inhabited
70	- concise explanation rather than lore drowning
71
72	### 5. Audit Crossing the Threshold
73	Ask:
74	- when does the player first gain meaningful control?
75	- is the first self-directed action actually meaningful?
76	- does it satisfy autonomy as well as competence?
77	- is the task achievable by a novice while still feeling like real play?
78	- is the FTUE overloaded with too many mechanics or abilities too fast?
79	- are rules softened, randomness reduced, and feedback sped up during this phase?
80
81	Look for:
82	- early self-directed action
83	- clear and satisfying feedback
84	- low chance of early failure or humiliation
85	- only the minimum needed to start having fun
86	- gradual pacing of advanced systems
87
88	### 6. Check psychological needs
89	Use these lenses where relevant:
90	- Autonomy - how quickly the player gets meaningful agency
91	- Competence - whether the player can understand and succeed at the first tasks
92	- Relatedness - whether characters, framing, or social cues create emotional connection
93
94	### 7. Diagnose likely failure shapes
95	Common FTUE failure patterns:
96	- Yellow-arrow servitude - the player obeys prompts without caring
97	- Pre-play bureaucracy - too much friction before play begins
98	- Lore drowning - backstory arrives before emotional investment exists
99	- Mentor as textbox - guide character explains but does not emotionally connect
100	- Threshold humiliation - first real action is confusing or failure-prone
101	-

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type

game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit

34stars3forks

View on GitHub

How to install game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit?

stanestane/game-design-skills-bundle/game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit

$npx -y skills add Stanestane/game-design-skills-bundle --skill game-design-ftue-hero-journey-audit

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Game Design FTUE Hero's Journey Audit
2
3	Audit the FTUE as if the player is the hero of a story.
4
5	Use this skill to evaluate whether a game's onboarding creates emotional connection, delivers a compelling call to adventure, introduces guidance in a motivating way, and gives the player an early moment of meaningful control. This is not just a tutorial audit. It is an audit of the player's first heroic arc.
6
7	## Core principle
8
9	The purpose of FTUE is not merely to explain controls.
10	The deeper purpose is to create an emotional connection and make the player feel like the hero of their own story.
11
12	## Audit lens
13
14	Focus on these stages:
15	1. Part 0 / Framing - Is the FTUE treated broadly as the first meaningful arc, not just a tutorial?
16	2. Call to Adventure - Does the game quickly establish why this world, fantasy, or challenge is worth entering?
17	3. Meeting the Mentor - Does the game provide emotional guidance, framing, and useful gifts without drowning the player?
18	4. Crossing the Threshold - Does the player get to take meaningful action with enough autonomy and competence to feel good?
19
20	## What to produce
21
22	Generate:
23	1. FTUE scope - what span of the experience is being audited
24	2. Hero's Journey stage review - strengths and weaknesses by stage
25	3. Psychological need check - autonomy, competence, relatedness where relevant
26	4. Drop-risk diagnosis - where the FTUE is likely to lose players
27	5. Recommendations - what to cut, pace, reframe, or strengthen
28
29	## Process
30
31	### 1. Define the FTUE scope
32	Clarify:
33	- what counts as the FTUE in this game
34	- whether the audit covers first 30 seconds, first session, or several early sessions
35	- where the player is most likely to bounce
36
37	### 2. Audit the broad framing
38	Ask:
39	- is FTUE treated only as a control tutorial, or as the player's first arc with the game?
40	- does the experience aim to build emotional investment?
41	- does the flow respect the player's time and attention?
42	- are early retention risks acknowledged in the design?
43
44	### 3. Audit the Call to Adventure
45	Ask:
46	- does the game establish an inviting fantasy, promise, or problem quickly?
47	- does the player understand why they should care?
48	- is there a strong emotional hook before explanation overload begins?
49	- how much friction appears before meaningful interaction?
50	- are there blockers such as large downloads, mandatory account creation, intrusive popups, or heavy exposition?
51
52	Look for:
53	- fast entry into meaningful interaction
54	- minimal pre-play friction
55	- emotional hooks over yellow-arrow obedience
56	- intrigue, mood, and promise without infodump
57
58	### 4. Audit Meeting the Mentor
59	Ask:
60	- is there a mentor figure, guide, or equivalent framing device?
61	- does it create emotional connection or just dump instructions?
62	- does the guide explain only what matters now?
63	- does the player receive meaningful starter gifts, tools, or framing?
64	- is the mentor reused effectively for later mini-FTUE moments?
65
66	Look for:
67	- empathic or authoritative guidance
68	- gift-giving that feels magical, useful, and motivating
69	- character or framing that helps the world feel inhabited
70	- concise explanation rather than lore drowning
71
72	### 5. Audit Crossing the Threshold
73	Ask:
74	- when does the player first gain meaningful control?
75	- is the first self-directed action actually meaningful?
76	- does it satisfy autonomy as well as competence?
77	- is the task achievable by a novice while still feeling like real play?
78	- is the FTUE overloaded with too many mechanics or abilities too fast?
79	- are rules softened, randomness reduced, and feedback sped up during this phase?
80
81	Look for:
82	- early self-directed action
83	- clear and satisfying feedback
84	- low chance of early failure or humiliation
85	- only the minimum needed to start having fun
86	- gradual pacing of advanced systems
87
88	### 6. Check psychological needs
89	Use these lenses where relevant:
90	- Autonomy - how quickly the player gets meaningful agency
91	- Competence - whether the player can understand and succeed at the first tasks
92	- Relatedness - whether characters, framing, or social cues create emotional connection
93
94	### 7. Diagnose likely failure shapes
95	Common FTUE failure patterns:
96	- Yellow-arrow servitude - the player obeys prompts without caring
97	- Pre-play bureaucracy - too much friction before play begins
98	- Lore drowning - backstory arrives before emotional investment exists
99	- Mentor as textbox - guide character explains but does not emotionally connect
100	- Threshold humiliation - first real action is confusing or failure-prone
101	-

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type