Those pop-ups are examples of non-diegetic interface. When those world simulators have a completion bar appear over an object or throw up some text that tells us we have '+5 Skill Points', that can spoil the mood fast. However, sometimes a game wants us to feel that we have a window on a genuine reality. Breaking the fourth wall can also be appropriate for them. Then there are games which occupy an aesthetic DMZ between the former titles and experiences that want to keep us immersed in a world, e.g.

Some games are more about turning mechanics over in our hands than believing we're playing a fictional role. That's fine if bare-faced systemisation is part of the work's identity. Playing a game might require knowing what your pet's happiness score is or when you've levelled up, but score counters or XP meters signal that you're not occupying a real world, you're playing a video game. Developers frequently butt up against the problem of communicating the game state to the audience without shattering their suspension of disbelief.

But there is a vain kind of UI that gets its kicks from being the centre of attention: diegetic UI. If the UI is doing its job, you frequently won't be conscious of it any more than you're conscious of the movement of your legs when peddling a bike or the motions of your pen when writing a letter. Note: The following article contains mild spoilers for Dead Space 1-3.įor a video game, a communicative graphical interface is essential, yet when a developer implements one, it often goes unnoticed.

Markers I: A Deep Dive Into Dead Space's UI

Dead space map animation