9. Engage new audiences

Dark Souls 1 did not exactly have an easy learning curve. So what developers should be asking is how do we get the next generation of gamers (the youngins) interested in this game?  Perhaps instead of a curve well…curve isn’t the right word Dark Souls gave you a brick wall to run at repeatedly until you broke through. While running into brick walls might be fun for those in Jackass and Jackass II for the rest of us…we are looking for something a bit more sophisticated. I crave a teaching method that has failure without it being a cold hard spike of failure. And those who made it through discovered a brilliant game; but it wasn't exactly easy to get into. Not everyone is cut out to invest thirty hours just to learn the controls, hard as that may be for some fans to believe. I don’t have the time…even though school is out for summer!

Down the red carpet 

Dark Souls 2 tried a little hard to be more welcoming, even going so far as including some dear little old ladies who helped you on your way. It even had a training segment, as opposed to a quick kick in the privates and an axe for a new hairstyle. But it didn't exactly ease the player into the main game. It still went from baby steps to running the hundred meters, with swords, through flames, while running from a hungry tiger, with blood running down your arm, in the blink of an eye.

Now a learning curve may not be exactly what fans think they want. They might say that anyone who hasn't learnt to love the brutality that is the opening chunks of Dark Souls games shouldn't need helping out now. It would dilute the game, they might say. But consider this: imagine all that time that the fan could save and spend playing more Dark Souls 3 if they didn't have to waste it explaining to people how the game is amazing if you just keep pushing through. Hours probably. So give the noobs a chance: maybe ten minutes of calm before the grind of fight, death, repeat begins.

Even the seasoned gamers need a life raft once in a while.