Gamernode: News - Daily Q: Do you read instruction manuals?

I love manuals, although I haven't read one for some time...

I read the background story sometimes. But I usually let the ingame tutorial get me acquainted with the controls.

I always read them on the way home in the car. If i havn't finished it by the time i get to the PS3 / PC then i will just throw it to the side and play the game.

depends on the game and if the controls have changed from year to year (like, say... mlb 2k8 compared to 2k5...). Never read it word for word though, though i also look for a bit of backstory if there is any to be had...

I check the controls... That's about it...

I read the manuals for fun really, not so I can learn anything about the game. They don't really contain much useful information.

Manuals used to be filled with good stuff... they explained the plot, gave you character bios, etc. Now they just pretty well sum up the controls and game play modes. There is not much depth to them anymore.

^not always true.

Actually, IMO, I don't really think the ratio of in-depth manuals to barebones ones has changed all that much.

I usually forsake the manual just to hop directly into the game, but should something confuse me, or if the game doesn't explain how to play itself very well, I'll take out the manual.

I almost always end up reading them anyway, but long after its really no longer useful as a manual....

Usually I just jump into the game. Eventually though, I will look through a manual and in cases with games like Harvest Moon keep it close in case I need a refresher on what character likes what. That is until I get tired of that and make my own cheat sheet...

I used to.

I don't read the manuals. I basically forget they're there. I sometimes read them after I finish the game... Don't really know why. I recently found my Gex 64 manual and went through it just because it felt so nostalgic.

I usually read them only if I can't instantly play them (Go out and pick it up, and have to wait until later to play) just to see what the game is about.

Yes; to get the story and check to make sure I haven't missed anything. Usually don't learn anything, but every now and then I do.

Mostly the only ones I read are the RTS ones. I just look at the unit types while I'm waiting for it to install.

As for consoles I rent most of those, so they rarely have the manual anyway.

Eventually.

I'll only read one if there is something in the game that I can't either get to work or figure out. I can't remember the last time I even opened one.

The story is in the game in newer games :p, and pretty much everything usually explains itself

I used to read them on the way home from a purchase, on the bus or somthing. But not anymore really.

I remember reading manuals for games on the NES and the SNES but that's all. Once games started including a tutorial as level 1 I stopped. I can't remember the last manuel I looked at.

I read them on the toilet.

rofl, same.

The last time I read a manual was actually Ultima Online's rather lengthy one.

And it too was read on the toilet.

I used too, like P-Thunder, on the way home from a purchase. But not any more. My mate has the WoW munual on the bog, never read it tho.

I like to first get into the game feet first to just get a feel for how the game plays. After I settle in, I "study" the manual just before lights out. The next day, I play with a new mind fully loaded with the info I gathered the night before.

Reading the manual, like for RPG games, is usually a requirement if you're hoping to make in progress at all. But generally speaking, I read all game manuals.