- Game UI can be divided into 4 classes: Non-Diegetic, Diegetic, Spatial, Meta
- Non-Diegetic:
- Does not exist in the game story or game space
- None of the characters in the game are aware of the existence of the component
- Very useful in strategy games but can interrupt immersion in fast-paced games
- Often appear as stat metres
- Usually keep track of points, time, damage and resources that the player may collect
- Diegetic:
- Does exist in the game story and game space
- Characters are aware of the components
- They can be distracting or difficult to view, over a non-diegetic component, when positioned or implemented badly
- Some diegetic components have the option to convert to a non-diegetic component, for easier viewing. Examples of this are handheld maps that can be toggled to a 2D view
- Common diegetic components include maps, speedometers in vehicles, ammo and gun iron sights
- Spatial:
- Does not exist in the game story but does exist in the game space
- Characters are not aware of the components
- Appear within the game’s space, eg above character’s heads
- Often used as visual aids to label objects, characters or landmarks
- Examples include button prompts, character names or health, objective markers or arrows on the road in racing games
- Meta:
- Does exist in the game story but does not exist in the game space
- Player’s avatar may or may not be aware of the components
- Used to signify things like damage taken by shaking the screen, blurring it or obscuring it with blood
Bowers, M. (n.d.). Level up – a Guide to Game UI (with Infographic). [online] Toptal Design Blog. Available at: https://www.toptal.com/designers/gui/game-ui.