by anja.kljajic - Interaction Design -

User Interfaces in Video Games 4/10

UI elements
interfaces

User Interfaces in Video Games – The quest for genre-appropriate and usable game UI

After getting a bit more familiar with how the need for UI in games emerged through a bit of history, I want to get more theory focused now with some definitions. I’ve already mentioned HUDs in my last post so let’s get it all on paper, as well as clear up any abbreviations that may keep popping up.

UI Elements

Definitions

UI (User Interface) – User interfaces are “part of a computer and its software that people can see, hear, touch, talk to, or otherwise understand or direct” [1]. In the video game context, this refers to all interface elements such as menus and setting screens, but also HUDs [2]. Importantly, this also includes the hardware, such as controllers or the keyboard and mouse.

HUD (Heads-Up Display) – HUDs are the persistent UI elements that appear on screen, usually indicating the status of the player [3]. This is the term that is most widely used within game spaces, but only really refers to the overlay during the actual gameplay, and not the other screens mentioned above.

GUI (Graphical User Interface) – GUIs are user “visual systems that let users interact with digital devices through elements like buttons, icons, and menus” [4]. I had some confusion with this term popping up, as I thought it was also the abbreviation for Game User Interface.

Figure 1: Battlefield HUD
Source: [5]

Game UI Elements

In this section I would like to make a distinction between HUD UI elements and other game screens, since all of this is part of the UI, the difference being that HUDs are active during gameplay. As games have evolved, these elements have became staples of the user interfaces within them.

The following are some visual examples of individual HUD elements as well as game screens (on the example of the 1999 game Metal Gear Solid), providing a short overview of the elements.

HUD Elements

  • Health bar – shows the current life the player has remaining, often abbreviated as HP (Hit Points), which came from the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons [6].
    • health
  • Score – shows the current or final score accumulated.
  • Ammunition gauge – shows the number of bullets/projectiles available, important for shooters.
  • Inventory – shows items possessed/equipped, important for role-playing games.
  • Map/Radar – assists player with navigation by providing an on-screen means of navigation with “you are here” indicators.
  • Context-Sensitive Prompt – text or icon that appears when the player is near an object that can be interacted with [7].

Figure 2: Elements of a HUD
Source: Own Production, referenced from [7]

Game Screens

  • Title Screen/Start Screen
  • Pause Screen
  • Options/Settings
  • Save/Load Game
  • Controls
  • Game Over Screen
  • Loading Screen
  • Legal/Copyright
  • Credits
Figure 3: MGS Title Screen
Source: [8]
Figure 4: MGS Pause Screen
Source: [8]
Figure 5: MGS Options
Source: [8]
Figure 6: MGS Load Screen
Source: [8]
Figure 7: MGS Controls
Source: [8]
Figure 8: MGS Game Over
Source: [8]

References

I really like playing games.
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