The secret language of game environments

Lennart Nacke
Bootcamp
Published in
5 min readJul 19, 2024

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Ever feel like you’re stumbling around in the dark when playing a new game? You’re not alone. Many players get lost or frustrated when navigating game environments. But guess what: if you’re feeling lost, it’s not your fault. It’s a failure of game design. Game user experience (UX) to the rescue.

Today, we’re mastering the fine art of player guidance in game UX. We’ll explore how smart designers use composition and environmental cues to lead players through their virtual worlds without holding their hands. By the end of this, you’ll never look at game environments the same way again. Believe me, it’s a genuine revelation. But before we start, consider getting on the waitlist for my UX Research and Design Email Course.

Let’s explore the mysteries of hidden player guidance.

The power of painted paths

Remember playing “follow the leader” as a kid? Game designers play a similar game, but with paint. They use artistic composition and environmental cues to guide players smoothly through your game.

Lara Croft in Tomb Raider climbing an environment marked by visual cues.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Eidos-Montréal, 2018)

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, level designers use painted areas to guide players along walls and through dense jungles. This ain’t slapping neon arrows on the ground. It’s much subtler than that.

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Lennart Nacke
Bootcamp

I share effective strategies for better UX research, game design, and writing. University Research Chair & Tenured Full HCI Professor.