{"id":50929,"date":"2025-08-12T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=50929"},"modified":"2025-08-12T15:54:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T06:54:38","slug":"not-so-obvious-things-that-make-games-fun-vol-1-breath-of-the-wild-and-dragon-quest-is-masterful-use-of-gating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/column\/not-so-obvious-things-that-make-games-fun-vol-1-breath-of-the-wild-and-dragon-quest-is-masterful-use-of-gating\/","title":{"rendered":"Not-so-obvious things that make games fun, Vol.1: Breath of the Wild and Dragon Quest I\u2019s masterful use of gating\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hi, I\u2019m Nununu, a Japanese game designer making a humble living in a corner of the industry. Thanks to AUTOMATON for giving me a place to ramble about game design. The plan is to look at games \u2013 famous hits and hidden gems alike \u2013 and break down interesting design decisions that make them entertaining. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For this first volume of the series, I\u2019m focusing on how games start. Specifically, a classic technique for getting players started called gating<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s begin with one of the all-time greats: Dragon Quest I. The opening sequence of Dragon Quest I was developed after much trial and error.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locking the player in the King\u2019s room<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the very first playable area in Dragon Quest I. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dragon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve got the hero, the King, and a couple of soldiers. There\u2019s also a door and some treasure chests \u2013 it\u2019s a small room, but it\u2019s packed with points of interest. However, the door is locked<\/strong>. The game won\u2019t let you leave just yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When players realize they\u2019re trapped, their natural instinct is to explore their surroundings. They\u2019ll likely try talking to the king and the soldiers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once they’ve obtained information they can use, they\u2019ll probably move on to checking the chests. The nearby chests yield 120 gold and a torch \u2013 nice, but not what you need to get out of the room. A little farther away is another chest which, when investigated, will finally provide you with the key<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Placing the chest with the exit item farther away from the player is a clever touch. It\u2019s designed so most players will get the key last. It\u2019s a technique meant to build anticipation for a reward, delaying it to make the moment more satisfying. Not only that, but by the time they\u2019ve unlocked the door, players will have already grasped basic knowledge of the game and how it’s played. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By narrowing the player\u2019s range of movement through gating, the game guides them to progress exactly as intended. This is of course, no coincidence \u2013 Yuji Horii deliberately designed Dragon Quest I this way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This \u201clock the player in the king\u2019s room\u201d approach wasn\u2019t invented out of nowhere either \u2013 it was a solution that came from addressing problems revealed through repeated playtests. The process is described at long in this article<\/a> by Denfaminicogamer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you look at this design solution now, you might think, \u201cWhat, that’s it? That\u2019s obvious.\u201d But it\u2019s not obvious at all. This kind of idea that \u201csolves multiple problems at once\u201d is not something you can come up with easily \u2013 it takes the kind of skill that comes from doing intensive problem-solving on a regular basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that we understand the power of gating, let\u2019s look at some examples of how it appears in other games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The many examples of gating<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first example is, of course, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW), the game that introduced an open-world system to the Zelda series and propelled its popularity to even greater heights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there’s a lot to discuss about BotW\u2019s game design, as mentioned \u2013 I will be focusing on how it starts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Link wakes up, he finds himself trapped in a cave. Here it is again \u2013 gating. By limiting the player’s actions, the game teaches its basic rules: blue glowing objects advance the game, treasure chests yield useful items, and so on. It\u2019s a textbook example of gating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even Link\u2019s half-naked state at the start of the game is intentional and part of teaching the player. The half-naked look is unflattering, and it makes you feel sorry for the poor guy. Naturally, you\u2019ll want to equip him with clothes. The first chests you open give you pants and a shirt, improving both Link\u2019s appearance and defense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near the cave exit is a small cliff you can\u2019t jump over. So you go, \u201cWhat do I do…Oh, right, why don\u2019t I climb.\u201d One of BotW\u2019s biggest innovations compared to prior open-world games is that it lets you climb anywhere. The terrain design here teaches that mechanic naturally and with subtlety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fellow game designer, I was blown away when I first played this. It\u2019s the kind of solution you can only arrive at if you\u2019re very conscious about \u201cwhat you want to communicate to the player.\u201d It\u2019s not thinking just \u201cWhat do I want them to learn?\u201d but \u201cWhat do I want to convey?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s more, though. When designing games, how do you create a good learning experience? By giving a reward. While learning itself constitutes growth and feels good on its own, adding a tangible reward makes it even better. Challenges should come with rewards \u2013 it\u2019s a fundamental principle of game design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s the reward waiting at top of that first cliff in BotW? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is\u2026 the world. 
Here, you get your first look at the vast world you\u2019re about to traverse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the first place, what is it that people who bought BotW expect from the game? It\u2019s the promise of exploring a huge, unknown world. And the designers throw it at you right at the beginning. It\u2019s truly brilliant game design.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some other examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the first Dark Souls, you’re locked in a cell right from the start. You have to find a key and open a locked door, just like Dragon Quest 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dark<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But even after you’ve found your way out of the cell, you have to pass through a series of enclosed corridors and spaces, learning the game\u2019s fundamentals along the way. In other words, the gated areas are strung together. Connecting these kinds of spaces is a common tutorial technique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another example is The Last Guardian. A boy wakes up to find himself trapped among ancient ruins with a giant beast named Trico. On his own, he can\u2019t escape. He has to rely on the mysterious beast\u2019s powers to get out. This is another great use of gating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The three basic types of gating <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finally, let me offer a little nugget of wisdom to broaden your thinking about gating. If we strip the concept down to its core, it\u2019s about restriction. It\u2019s any situation where, as a player, your actions or abilities are limited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe gating can be divided into three basic categories: physical, ability-based, and mental. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical Gates: Hard barriers like locked doors or walls you can\u2019t break down (Dragon Quest I, Dark Souls). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ability Gates: Common in Metroidvanias \u2013 you can\u2019t reach somewhere by just jumping, or a passage is too narrow to crawl through. But once you gain the right ability, you can overcome the obstacle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental Gates: Best seen in TUNIC \u2013 it\u2019s not that you can\u2019t do something; you just think you can\u2019t (or the game makes you believe so). For designers who place importance on narrative, this is probably the most satisfying type of gating to pull off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, it all boils down to restrictions, so you don\u2019t have to think about these separate categories. But having them helps me when brainstorming ideas \u2013 after all, the trick to coming up with ideas is to zoom in and out of your picture, narrowing and broadening your perspective. That\u2019s why being able to categorize is useful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, you don\u2019t have to strictly stick to these categories. Ultimately, it\u2019s always about two questions: What do you want the restriction to teach? And what do you want it to communicate? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, I\u2019ll call it a day here. If you enjoyed reading this, that\u2019s enough for me. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look at the role of “gating” in game design, through the examples of Dragon Quest, Zelda and Dark Souls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":50933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-column","category-game-development"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nNot-so-obvious things that make games fun, Vol.1: Breath of the Wild and Dragon Quest I\u2019s masterful use of gating\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A look at the role of "gating" in game design, through the examples of Dragon Quest, Zelda and Dark Souls.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/column\/not-so-obvious-things-that-make-games-fun-vol-1-breath-of-the-wild-and-dragon-quest-is-masterful-use-of-gating\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Not-so-obvious things that make games fun, Vol.1: Breath of the Wild and Dragon Quest I\u2019s masterful use of gating\u00a0 - 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