[atoav]

The thing is, you usually _want_ to play the video game just for the video games sake. Understanding it is mentally part of the thing.

With a typical application GUI you usually want to get some stuff done and the program is the thing you chose for the job. This means unless you really plan to learn that thing, every friction that program needlessly puts on reaching your objective is gonna piss you off.

This is btw. the same in Games, if e.g. the graphics settings don’t work as expected etc

[TeMPOraL]

I don't think it's just motivation. Video games are different from regular software also in that they do explain their UI to newcomers, whereas explaining anything is anathema to modern UI design. That's IMO a big problem, and why I find myself liking UIs in video games more than in "work" software.

Some webapps offer videogame-style guides on the first launch - I'm thinking of e.g. UI tours that highlight elements and tell you what they do. It's a good pattern.