In game design this is the term which refers to the amount of knowledge the player has to keep in their brain at one time during play. If this information is too high, or parts of the information are unavailable, then we cannot support the player.

We can consider this in conjunction with the rules. A good rule of thumb is to assume the complexity of how many rules and mechanics are working together at one time. Sometimes we want a high cognitive load.

In order to reduce cognitive load, we can have the game itself track elements. In digital games this is quite easy, and much tracked information will not be [[Perfect and Imperfect Information]], but actually tracked invisibly behind the scenes of the game. In board games this concept is more complicated, as the physical pieces have to track the elements of play on the board. Dungeons and Dragons does a good and bad job of this, as the majority of its elements require percentage calculations, but the items, actions, elements, and environments are all consistently moved elements on the board itself. Because the game is being manipulated in real time, all of the information, perfect or not, is being adjusted as we play. This is an example of a high complexity with a low cognitive load.

This reminds me of [[Context in Game Design]] and how we have to provide feedback to the player that things are happening in the game, otherwise they won’t know what’s going on. If we don’t provide the player with context and feedback in the long term at high levels, then they won’t know the state of the game, and can’t make informed decisions. In the same way, if the game’s cognitive load is too high, players will have a hard time making informed decisions about play.