Early analysis of the 3rd test, Part III

Discovering affordances on your own might strengthen the game experience
In line with the results of the first user test, there were some claims made during the third user test regarding the joy of discovery. Two of the persons taking part in the third test didn't mind that it was hard to discover which objects that could be smashed to pieces, with one claiming that the discovery of this affordance is rewarding enough to compensate for the lack of affordance amplification. Another participant had some complaints about the fact that the game didn't make him aware of the possibility to break apart objects, but suggested forcing the player to discover the interaction by "locking him into a room" with a breakable object, rather than using a UI affordance amplifier. Note: the remaining two participants didn't find the affordance hard to discover.

Regarding the breakable boxes in Dead Space, another test participant claimed the boxes to be too attention grabbing. He wanted a more subtle affordance amplification, as he - as well as the other participant - found the rewarding feeling of discovery strengthening for the game experience.

Once again, this suggests that sense of freedom is important for engrossing oneself into the game experience, and that dumbing down the gameplay by being to explicit might take players out of the game experience. Personally, I think that this might be especially relevant considering optional affordances.