— to get a little less hand-holding, and perhaps stop drowning their map in icons.

As I mentioned, the second screen is essentially an adaptive difficulty setting for puzzles and environmental challenges, with “easy mode” sitting right there in every gamers’ pocket. Consequently, quest design can get slightly more challenging and rewarding (although for all that I’m talking fondly about Elden Ring in this column — please, not that obtuse) and let those who are impatient just look up the answer on their smartphone.

There’s also the possibility for developers to actually encourage the early development of the fan content ecosystem, by working directly with content creators who make interesting guides, tips, and other analysis. This was, of course, standard practice back in the days of “strategy guide” books being sold at launch, and recently, streaming services like Disney+ have started giving early access to weekly episodes of major shows to YouTube creators who make videos analysing them for references, callbacks and easter eggs, ensuring that viewers have a ton of YouTube content to engage with right after they finish watching the new episode. There’s certainly scope for a similar thing to happen with video games.

Second screens, then, didn’t fade away — they just became so much the dominant paradigm that we barely even notice them any more. Some will decry this flood of fan content showing off secrets and explaining puzzles as an example of games losing the mystery and sense of exploration they once had — but the option to turn over your smartphone and keep playing without its accompanying glow is always there.

Instead, we should celebrate the community that good games create around themselves — a community whose creations, via the second screen, are now an intrinsic part of the gaming experience itself.