Gaming is an enjoyable hobby, but for novice gamers the learning curve may be steep and it may be hard to break into a game due to controller familiarity, game complexity or assumed knowledge of gaming conventions. Luckily there are games which provide lower entrance barriers into gaming for newcomers.

Many beginners to first person shooters begin with Minecraft as an entryway into this form of gaming. It offers creative mode in which the player can build freely without constraints or rules, and survival mode which tests players to overcome environmental and personal challenges like hunger, thirst and disease. Although Minecraft may not appeal to everyone, it can serve as an excellent gateway into video gaming for newcomers.

Designing a computer game should aim to provide an experience that is as intellectually manageable as possible. According to several independent studies from various fields, humans typically can only keep seven things in their mind at one time; when designing for beginners it is especially important that this limit be taken into consideration as complex games will prove very challenging to navigate for novice players.

Another crucial element when creating a computer game is violence levels. Novice players tend to find it more difficult than experienced ones to suspend disbelief, making large amounts of bloody violence off-putting; for example, showing damage done to characters in role-playing games rather than showing them through real blood would likely be preferred over showing gore-soaked images of violence.

Another aspect that can make game management challenging for novice players is its narrative setting. Newcomers to fantasy settings tend not to be familiar with them as much as science fiction settings; thus making entering wizard-led worlds with dragons harder for them than alien-controlled supercomputers. That doesn’t mean fantasy settings shouldn’t be designed specifically with novices in mind; just that their presentation should be tailored in such a way as to be more accessible than for experienced players.