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Would it be possible to make a game with no text?

Matt Yeomans

Matt Yeomans

Member
In an effort to appeal to people of all languages and literacy, I wonder if a user interface could be composed entirely of symbols rather than text (with exception of the game's logo).

I'm trying this now and have implemented an end-of-level menu with four clipart-esque symbols:
  • a silhouette of an SD card (for saving/overwriting your current time and score)
  • an arrow forward for moving to the next level
  • an arrow circling back on itself for retrying the level
  • and a triangle with a line under it to signify "eject" for going back to the main menu
Worst case scenario, a user gets confused and just starts clicking, maybe they can see what clicking one of the buttons does and, at that point, learn.

Also, on my main menu, I've got, for example, in the "Controls" section, a symbol of a game controller and another symbol of a keyboard and mouse for the menu wherein you change your controls. And in that control-change menu, next to each action, I have the character's sprite doing the action. So you move the cursor down to the section where you see the character going from standing to crouching and hopefully you assume that's the "duck" control that you may or may not want to remap. A sprite of the character going from standing to jumping is another one, a sprite of the character shooting, etc.

These seem like they just might get their intended points across, and there may be no need for any text anywhere yet.



But then...


I'm wondering about warnings and the such, stuff like, "Don't turn power off while saving," epilepsy warnings, or copyright stuff. I'm thinking that if they're absolutely necessary, maybe display them simultaneously in, like, six popular languages at once... or simply have a language selector upon initial launch of the game.

But I still wonder if even THESE could be done with pictographic symbols!




MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU:
  1. Have you ever tried to omit words on menu items and use symbols only?
  2. Have you gotten any user feedback on doing so?
  3. Do you have any interesting methods for implementing this type of system?
  4. How important is the "Don't turn power off while saving" message anyway?
 
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sitebender

Member
I have made a game without text... I got a lot of questions about what does this do? What does that do? Icons never felt explanatory enough for people. So I ended up putting text in it, defeating the purpose. In hindsight I should have made the game without as many options such as "delete save file" or confirmations such as "are you sure you want to delete save file?." Before I knew it I had 170 lines of text (counted) for even the simplest things.

Perhaps I should have made bigger demonstrations rather than simple icons.
 
Yal

Yal

šŸ§ *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
There already is at least one, called Ellipsis, and it's won tons of design awards. I personally find it a bit tricky to understand what the menus do since they're all symbol-based, but the game itself is really good at teaching you how to play it by example.
 
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Smarty

Guest
I'm (very slowly) progressing on a game, and making it independent of language is my goal too. I think it's acceptable for just about anything but the game's title.

For the peripheral buttons (menus, in-game toggles) I would already be using icons that are very much like @andev posted above. They seem to be universally recognized (by which I actually mean just this planet, we're so arrogant...). You see them a lot in mobile games these days.

But it doesn't cover the whole gamut of things that require explaining, obviously. I'm running into this when trying to explain players how to move, or what certain game elements are intended for, or where to go next from where they are. The ideal way of moving the player forward through the action is very different per game, but here are some pointers:

  • No introduction texts means you have to throw player straight into the game. Use emergent explanations: first show how to move (animated keys on a keyboard-supporting platform, swiping fingers on a mobile). New moves should only be shown when they are relevant (e.g. pressing a fire button or tapping the screen).
  • Slow down the time to show players their options and to allow to try and use them, for example when in mid-air.
  • Visual and audio cues. Player needs to go somewhere? Highlight that area or make it stand out in another way. Action triggers something off-screen? Make a sound and / or quickly pan to the area where the effect takes place.
  • Use cut scenes to tell your story, if any. You've got more options than a mime player, they're using less props and also get the message across.
But either way rest assured that in spite of not using any language, you may still get it wrong - there are more differences between languages and cultures than those enclosed by text.

Matt Yeomans said:
How important is the "Don't turn power off while saving" message anyway?
Click to expand...
Very un. How long do you need to save for, anyway? Closing off a device while saving anything is a bad idea, consider it common knowledge.

But practically speaking, if you're going for an all-languages implementation and already struggle to convey the meaning of an icon to be "Save", then just take away that responsibility from the player. Saving is a cumbersome operation that distracts from the game immersion. Put auto-saves at key decision points in the game instead.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Khao

Khao

Member
For a game with no text, you should start by avoiding the kind of stuff that would normally have text in the first place.

You have to do all kinds of crazy solutions and workarounds if you want your menus to convey information in a way that's intuitive, and you still might have a few issues. So why not leave the menu aside entirely? Depending on the type of game, it can be done. You could have a title screen with the game's logo, and have it lead directly into the game. No options, no save files, nothing to get in the way of actually playing.

A game that comes close to being completely text-less is Journey for PS3 and PS4. After the company logos and copyright nonsense, the only text you're greeted with is "(X) New Journey."

That's about it when it comes to text. You press X, and youre immediately thrown into the game. The story is told 100% visually with no words, and just about everything is conveyed in a way that's as natural as possible. Even when you meet another player online, you can't communicate with them or even see their name until the very end of the game. The only other text in the game is a single word for each button tutorial (which ultimately didn't even need the text in the first place, literally just says "HOLD"), the pause screen, and the ending credits.

So yeah, it's possible. Journey didn't even set out to specifically include no text (just to be as minimalistic as possible) but they did it, and wouldn't really require any modifications if they had actually wanted to include no text whatsoever. I'd say it's already 100% playable even for someone who's illiterate.
 
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greenystone

Guest
1. Have you ever tried to omit words on menu items and use symbols only?
yes, but remeber that whole game must adjust to these specifics. it's actually hard to do it good.

2. Have you gotten any user feedback on doing so?
i haven't released it yet.

3. Do you have any interesting methods for implementing this type of system?
i don't think there some method. again, if your game is bigger than quick casual mobile games, it is hard to do it good and to fit in whole game.

4. How important is the "Don't turn power off while saving" message anyway?

depends on console/system you are working on. you can ignore this on pc, but always take into account that players can be angry when they lost progress just because they turned it off and you didn't warn them.
 
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