---
key: practice/three-minute-museum
type: practice
id: three-minute-museum
lang: en
title: Three minutes at the museum
summary: Connect audience constraints to rules and the first interaction.
updatedAt: '2026-10-20'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/practice/three-minute-museum/'
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markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/practice/three-minute-museum.md'
aliases: []
tags:
  - Audience and interface
sourceIds:
  - source-3e6c21889ae768e0
  - source-6f794a271cd60b9c
sources:
  - id: source-3e6c21889ae768e0
    title: 'Challenges for Game Designers: author website'
    url: 'https://designgames.wordpress.com/'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-6f794a271cd60b9c
    title: 'Challenges for Game Designers: table of contents'
    url: 'https://designgames.wordpress.com/toc/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations:
  - type: practices
    direction: incoming
    label: What this helps you learn
    key: lesson/level-wayfinding
    title: Making a route readable
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/level-wayfinding/'
    jsonUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/level-wayfinding.json'
    markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/level-wayfinding.md'
  - type: practices
    direction: incoming
    label: What this helps you learn
    key: lesson/running-a-playtest
    title: Running a playtest with a concrete question
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/running-a-playtest/'
    jsonUrl: >-
      https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/running-a-playtest.json
    markdownUrl: >-
      https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/running-a-playtest.md
  - type: practices
    direction: incoming
    label: What this helps you learn
    key: path/level-design
    title: Level design
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/learn/level-design/'
    jsonUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/path/level-design.json'
    markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/path/level-design.md'
  - type: practices
    direction: incoming
    label: What this helps you learn
    key: path/game-verification
    title: Game verification
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/learn/game-verification/'
    jsonUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/path/game-verification.json'
    markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/path/game-verification.md'
  - type: uses
    direction: outgoing
    label: Sources in the selection
    key: resource/challenges-for-game-designers
    title: Challenges for Game Designers
    url: >-
      https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-challenges-for-game-designers
    jsonUrl: >-
      https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/challenges-for-game-designers.json
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placements:
  - title: In the original collection
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/practice/#three-minute-museum'
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  topic: audience
  level: beginner
  minutes: 60
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Thematic inspiration: Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Brathwaite and
  Ian Schreiber. These scenarios, constraints and checks are independently
  written around broad game-design learning topics. This is not a translation or
  a sequential retelling of the book exercises.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
---
# Three minutes at the museum

id: three-minute-museum
type: practice
key: practice/three-minute-museum
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/practice/three-minute-museum/

Connect audience constraints to rules and the first interaction.

## Goal

Connect audience constraints to rules and the first interaction.

## Scenario and materials

Make a game for a museum visitor who has three minutes. They see the screen for the first time, need not read a long tutorial and may leave at any moment. The game idea is to reconnect an object with its use.

Paper screens

## Constraints

- The initial screen makes the first action visible.
- A session fits within three minutes and can restart immediately.
- Key instructions work without sound and do not depend solely on colour.

## Steps

1. Describe the visitor's situation without inventing verified audience research.
2. Draw the initial screen, play screen and ending.
3. Check the paper scenario with someone who has not seen the project. Note where help was needed.

## Deliverable

Three screens, session rules and a record of a new player's first attempt.

## Check your work

- The player can identify the first action without a hint from the designer.
- The result of an action is visible on screen.
- Ending and restarting need no explanation.

## Reflect

What did the short session force you to remove? What did the player gain?

## Connected materials

- What this helps you learn: [Making a route readable](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/level-wayfinding/) (key: lesson/level-wayfinding)
- What this helps you learn: [Running a playtest with a concrete question](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/running-a-playtest/) (key: lesson/running-a-playtest)
- What this helps you learn: [Level design](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/learn/level-design/) (key: path/level-design)
- What this helps you learn: [Game verification](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/learn/game-verification/) (key: path/game-verification)
- Sources in the selection: [Challenges for Game Designers](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-challenges-for-game-designers) (key: resource/challenges-for-game-designers)

## Sources and provenance

Thematic inspiration: Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Schreiber. These scenarios, constraints and checks are independently written around broad game-design learning topics. This is not a translation or a sequential retelling of the book exercises.

- [Challenges for Game Designers: author website](https://designgames.wordpress.com/) (id: source-3e6c21889ae768e0)
- [Challenges for Game Designers: table of contents](https://designgames.wordpress.com/toc/) (id: source-6f794a271cd60b9c)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors