Yellow-colored paint or markers are now a common sight for many gamers as guides for interactable objects in the game.
While these markers have existed for quite some time in the gaming world, rising opinions on the matter see the guides as an annoyance rather than
Many people claim that the yellow paint or tapes are too "on-the-nose" and that they diminish the exploration part of the game.
Why are There Yellow Markers in the Game?
To understand the relevance of yellow markers in games, it is important to know how they came to be.
Game markers have existed since games became widely popular; they ensure that players progress through the game without being stuck for too long, especially for story-centric games.
While guides come in many forms, like dialogues or literal hints, it is made in consideration to prevent developers from unnecessarily making their games more difficult for average players.
Developers have only started using the yellow-colored markers to be more noticeable as background details started looking more realistic and becoming more restrictive in color choices.
This can be seen in games like Resident Evil or the Final Fantasy VII remake where most of the surrounding areas are shades of gray, black, and green.
Alternative Designs for Guide Markers
That said, there are still other designs for guides developers can use to make indicators less glaring for many people.
A particular solution was to use light to indicate that a section of the wall is climbable or obvious indents in areas where players can interact.
Differentiating the texture and resolution between the interactable objects and background details also works well, especially in areas where there are many objects spread around.
Of course, there is also the God of War path where developers can incorporate the yellow markers as part of the story to at least not make it out of place.
While other design choices can be used to make the game more immersive, it is also important to consider designing these guides that will suit
All these designs have gone through rigorous beta tests before being released to determine which method
We have already seen many independent games in the past years become extremely unfriendly for newer players because of the lack of a guide to help them.
Unless the intention is to actually puzzle the player, obvious guides are welcome from time to time.
