Designing Games for Working Memory: How to Avoid Cognitive Overload in Players
By
Laia Tremosa
Summary
This article by Celia Hodent explains the concept of working memory and its critical role in game design. It breaks down the limits of human working memory (the "mental workspace" for temporarily holding and processing information) and provides practical guidance for game designers to avoid cognitive overload. Key topics include: the limited capacity of working memory (the "7±2" rule and its modern refinement to about 4 chunks), the importance of reducing cognitive load in tutorials and UI, designing for automaticity and chunking, and ensuring players can actually process and remember what matters in a game rather than being overwhelmed by unnecessary information.
Source
Interaction Design FoundationDesigning Games for Working Memory: How to Avoid Cognitive Overload in Playersixdf.orgKey quotes
· 4 pulledWorking memory is the mental workspace where your brain actively holds and processes information in the moment.
The capacity of working memory is severely limited. It's often described as being able to hold about seven items (plus or minus two), but more recent research suggests it's closer to four chunks of information.
If you overload working memory, players will not be able to process the information you're presenting, let alone learn and enjoy your game.
Designing for working memory means respecting the limits of human cognition and structuring information so that it can be processed efficiently.
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