The usual way to approach this is exactly that. The supplier provides a training data set that allows your staff to learn the software without damaging anything.
Good point. You just forgot to explicitly mention this was good because games were monochromatic blinking dots! 
But then again, they could be just books. No need to explain gameplay if the game got a proper intro stage or something similar.
The whole point in this post, IMHO, isn’t so much manuals suck, tho. It’s just “when you can make a good intro stage, it’s so much better than anything else to teach how to play!”…
Except when you already know how to play and have no way to skip the level one.
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Miyamoto on the first level of Mario!
Oh, was it that far back in time 
This could be the reason why I only have so vague memories 
I agree that from gaming only point of view it is not required to have a manual if you have a great way of intro and tutorial.
But for me a game exists outside of the border of the machine, too. And thus it matters to have manuals (and other additional goodies) going together with the game. I like to have some haptic sensation. And I like the smell of printed paper, too
ola achei…bem interessante seu ponto de vista sobre os manuais , para muitos inuteis , para outros uteis e para curiosos podendo lhe oferecer oportunidades (guloseimas rsrsrsrs ) para defrutar de um algo a mais escondido, eu era fã das pistas escondidas em um certo lugar do mapa que voce descobria sem querer , um portal ou algo parecido…nossa eu pirrava rsrsrrs. Atari , mega driver , super nintendo , play 1 2 e 3 … passava horas nas locadoras matando aula para jogar videogames , na blockbuster kkkkk . normalmente vinham nos games para pc, mas lembro das revistas aqui no brasil , onde tinha dicas do inicio ao fim !!! eu era viciado nessas revistas … muito legal , e tbm concordo da importancia dos manuais , e acredito que a força e peso do papel , seu cheiro …é algo diferente , eu gosto !! mas para juventude hj é mais facil , um qrcode e ler no celular , algo que os tornem mais conectados !!! atingir os 2 publicos é uma boa maneira de manter a tradição porem inovador rsrsrrs.
hello, I found your point of view about the manuals very interesting, for many useless, for other useful and for the curious being able to offer you opportunities (goodies lol) to enjoy something more hidden, I was a fan of the hidden clues in a certain place of the map that you discovered by accident, a portal or something similar…wow, I freaked out lol. Atari , mega driver , super nintendo , play 1 2 and 3 … spent hours at the video stores skipping class to play video games , at blockbuster kkkkk . usually came in pc games, but I remember the magazines here in Brazil, where I had tips from beginning to end!!! I was addicted to these magazines… very cool, and I also agree on the importance of manuals, and I believe that the strength and weight of the paper, its smell… is something different, I like it!! but for youth today it is easier , a qrcode and read on the cell phone , something that makes them more connected !!! reaching 2 audiences is a good way to keep the tradition but innovative lol.
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Do you know any tech that reads a manual before trying to install or even use any software? It not in our blood. The DNA states we have a brain of curiosity and in some ‘common sense’ to navigate menu’s.
But you were right in one sense of the word combination. software development is a game and in many cases a matter of collaboration. Today, cloud platforms make it even more strategic for applications to collaborate in a confidential computing environment.
And a note of importance, StackOverflow achieved your objective. I have an interesting story I’ll share offline sometime. For now, I’ll just say thanks, it was an invaluable resource.
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BB
Not reading the manuals is quite true for games where no stakes other than entertaining ourselves are involved . Very true , way back in early 1990, the libraries and computer labs had serious issues in storing the volumes and volumes of the other manuals of like that of CorelDraw , rockwares etc . Very very few people read it
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I agree with you, i believe that by making the manuals part of the game enforce the connection between the gamer and and the game it self and some how forced the gamer to go through the manuals sometimes even without realizing it .
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@codinghorror I like your take on it. I loved Mega Man Classic! Playing these games shaped how I played in arcades (Mrs Pac-man, Pac-Man, Missile Command), online and apps to this day.
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Just read Level One: The Intro Stage by Jeff Atwood. What a brilliant take on how people actually learn — not by reading 200-page manuals, but by doing.
It really resonated with me, especially coming from law enforcement and transitioning to engineering: hands-on learning is where real growth happens.
The idea that “Level One is the manual” hit me hard. Makes perfect sense for platforms like Outlier too — the best way to learn here is to jump in and start contributing. Let’s play. 
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I agree, not only in games but for most of activities “doing” is better than “reading”, additional that is a fast way to learn.
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