---
key: mechanic/education--document-work
type: mechanic
id: education--document-work
lang: en
title: Using documentation within a task
summary: >-
  The needed rule is in a reference or manual. The learner finds it and applies
  it to the current practical task.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--document-work/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--document-work.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--document-work.md
aliases:
  - Using documentation during a task
tags:
  - Educational games
  - Applied learning and evidence work
sourceIds:
  - source-839dfd6aadadd7e9
sources:
  - id: source-839dfd6aadadd7e9
    title: Hacknet
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/365450/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: education
    id: document-work
    title: Educational games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/education/#document-work'
    categoryIds:
      - applied-learning
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Using documentation during a task
    description: >-
      The needed rule is in a reference or manual. The learner finds it and
      applies it to the current practical task.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/interface-hacknet-00.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 809
      game: Hacknet
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/365450/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/365450/ss_182ebf5aa570fc0ad0d1d974d43137e858ddeb54.1920x1080.jpg?t=1758156718
      credit: Team Fractal Alligator / Fellow Traveller
      rights: >-
        © Team Fractal Alligator / Fellow Traveller. All rights reserved.
        Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: 'Hacknet: a quick command reference beside the terminal'
      alt: 'Hacknet: a quick command reference beside the terminal'
      markers:
        - x: 7
          'y': 31
          label: Quick Reference Guide explains the commands
    tips:
      - >-
        Make documentation useful for solving the task rather than a mandatory
        link.
    examples:
      - title: Hacknet
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/365450/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the
  original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated
  2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire
  classification or its effectiveness.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/education
---
# Using documentation within a task

id: education--document-work
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/education--document-work
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--document-work/

The needed rule is in a reference or manual. The learner finds it and applies it to the current practical task.

## At a glance

![Hacknet: a quick command reference beside the terminal](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/interface-hacknet-00.webp)

[Hacknet](https://store.steampowered.com/app/365450/) · © Team Fractal Alligator / Fellow Traveller. All rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. Quick Reference Guide explains the commands

- Make documentation useful for solving the task rather than a mandatory link.

- [Hacknet](https://store.steampowered.com/app/365450/)

## How it works

Players solve an applied task by finding a relevant rule in available documentation.

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="document-work-variants"></a>

- Find a relevant section using document structure <a id="document-work-1"></a>
- Choose instructions for the current tool version <a id="document-work-2"></a>
- Extract an allowed range from a table <a id="document-work-3"></a>
- Match a warning to the current condition <a id="document-work-4"></a>
- Distinguish a required step from a recommendation <a id="document-work-5"></a>
- Assemble a short operational checklist <a id="document-work-6"></a>
- Apply a retrieved rule to a new case <a id="document-work-7"></a>
- Cite the document section justifying an action <a id="document-work-8"></a>

## Design example

Hypothetical workshop: select a machine setting from a training manual and workpiece properties.

## Context and limits

A mechanic map for games with explicit learning goals, from first encounters with a topic to professional practice. It covers children, teenagers and adults; choose subject, difficulty, context and controls for the learner. Player actions, subject content, instructional support and assessment are distinct layers. Scores and game completion alone do not establish mastery or skill transfer.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire classification or its effectiveness.

- [Hacknet](https://store.steampowered.com/app/365450/) (id: source-839dfd6aadadd7e9)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors