There MUST be some fussy employee at every video game company that insists that he wants a part in the development of each and every project. He/she doesn't have a degree, he/she doesn't have any development skills, and he/she certainly has a job that nobody else wants to do, thus putting those in charge in a pickle: they must let this person "participate" in making their game.
*sigh*
What could we allow this person to do? Certainly not help with asset creation and/or management, seeing as it is one of the biggest parts of creating games. Nor should they direct any art, do any storyboarding, write any dialogs, engineer sound effects and music, or provide any vocal talent. What will he/she do?
Throw together the game manual text.
Although the art, layout, and instructions for the manual have already been created, it should be but a simple task of organizing these in the order that the table of contents specifies, and hitting the ctrl + s on the Quark document, right?
Wrong. Apparently.
Throughout my video gaming days growing up from a wee NES player to a near PS3-owner, I can say that I have seen a hefty share of typos, mistakes, and out right negligence in a variety of game manuals from different companies and publishers. Why does this happen? Who lets these people take care of these jobs? Does anyone proof them? Guess not.
Some may argue that nobody reads the manuals, or most people can figure out how to play based on the first level of a game where the tutorial is, or even picking it up from a friend who already owns the game. But it still stands that the manuals are there, and they are being read by someone, and they are apart of the publishers' budgets. I read them. And if I hadn't have used my good ole' context clues skills I acquired from grade school then I would have been in quite the sticky situation in Digital Devil Saga, where I am supposed to know which part of the hud is my health, and which part is my Macca(money).
Thankfully underneath this part of the manual it indicated where my MP bar is located, and I put 2 and 2 together to create the number of the beast. Are others out there this smart? Seeing as some people even find button-mashers too complicated and difficult I see no reason why there are people out there vulnerable to blunders like these.
[piratevoice]So it be a lesson to all you gamers out there! Be lookin' out fer them typos and mistakes in the game manuals, and be writin' them publishers letters about 'em![/piratevoice]
