Psych of RPGs Ep 1: Cognitive Load & Working Memory

[@ResidentBard]

This took me back to ed psych in my teaching program. It's cool how the conversation about scaffolding students in a classroom setting overlaps with RPGs!

[@andyreichert499]

I do think games and gamemasters need to be more aware of the cognitive load of their games. As you said, the number of rules, mechanics, powers, and abilities available to a player have an impact. But the mechanics aren't the only thing that have cognitive weight. The world, the scenario, the politics, NPC relatinoships, myseries, and other aspects of a game also have cognitive weight. I would like to see a little more intention on focus for a game, and ways to simplify things that aren't the focus of a particular game.

[@rangereric18]

I've used player cheat sheets for a mathematically complex rpg and it worked wonders. Everyone knew what abilities they had and when they could use them with little to no explanation.