Game Interface Design: Key Aspects

If you are reading this blog article, you most likely want to learn how a game interface works, and maybe you are interested in video game design. Well, you've come to the right place. Today we'll talk about game interface design and provide a few examples that we hope will inspire you to showcase your best and become the video game designer you want to be. Let's go!

What is a Video Game Interface?

It's one of those days when you really want to enjoy using your console. You install a game and press the "play" button. And suddenly you're immersed in a fantastic, gripping story that also challenges you on a competitive level. But how did you get there, and how do you understand what hundreds of games want from you? The answer is both simple and complex: through the video game interface.

The video game interface, UI, is what immediately grabs gamers' attention. It's the front door, the invitation that designers give us to enter the world they've created. Creating a good user interface is quite a challenging task. Many studios neglect this part of the game because they don't have enough time or resources to dedicate to it, but poor game interface design can be a burden for the user. On the other hand, good design allows us to start the game in a simple and intuitive way.

What is Game Interface Design?

As we said, game interface design is the point of interaction between the player and the game. Its main task is to provide the necessary information so that the user can perform any action offered by the game absolutely smoothly. Good user interface design guides the user in a direct or intuitive way so that the player can navigate the video game correctly.

Here are some points to consider when developing a game interface:

• Environment/Platform. The first thing to consider is the platform for the game you are designing. You need to account for the capabilities and limitations that the platform offers. For example, developing games for smartphones is not the same as developing them for consoles or a computer.
• Content. Good user interface design provides the player with all the necessary information so they can interact with the game and everything runs smoothly.
• Visual Design. Video games are a very visual experience. Ugly or cluttered visuals in the game interface can be counterproductive and pull the player out of the immersion you want to provide. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly define the art style.
• Information Architecture. Determine the hierarchy of elements in terms of their importance to the user and organize them so that the result is a cohesive and relevant interface design.

Styles of Video Game Interface Design

Diegetic, non-diegetic, spatial, and meta. These are some of the classifications found for various interfaces created for video games. Next, we'll tell you a bit about each one using examples of games you likely know and that use one of these typologies in their interface design. Let's go!

Diegetic

As is often the case with music in films, to say that a video game interface is diegetic means it is included in the game world. In other words, it is a type of interface that the game's characters can see, hear, and touch. At this point, game interface design becomes part of the game's narrative.

Surely many examples come to mind. But if not, don’t worry, here are some:

• Dead Space. An example of diegetic game interface design present in this Visceral game is how you can see the character's life indicator embedded in their suit. Another example is displaying the inventory through a device built into the protagonist and shown in front of them without pausing the gameplay.
• Fallout. Actually, Fallout is a mix of diegetic and extradiegetic interface design. But in this case, you can note the use of the PipBoy—a device built into the protagonist's arm that allows access to inventory, quest journal, radio, etc.
• Assassin's Creed. In this popular Ubisoft game, the protagonists use an eagle to detect enemies on the map. This is another example of how game interface design can be integrated into the game's narrative.

Non-Diegetic

When we talk about non-diegetic or extradiegetic interface design, we mean elements that are displayed outside the game and are only visible and audible to the player. Despite the situation in this area changing, this is the most common interface design in video games. Here are a few examples:

• Diablo III. Despite matching the graphic and visual style of the whole game, this Blizzard game features an interface that the game's hero is unaware of: a bar showing character abilities, health or mana levels, and access to inventory. This represents some interaction with the player but does not affect the game's narrative.
• GTA. As with Fallout, GTA games have a mix of interface types. In our understanding, the presence of a minimap or the display of a menu when selecting weapons are two good examples. These are elements that facilitate interaction with the player but of which the protagonist is unaware.

Spatial

It can be argued that spatial game interface design occupies a middle ground between the two previous concepts. These are elements that are integrated into the game actions but of which the characters are unaware. Sometimes such interface design can pause the game's narrative, as happens, for example, when a tutorial prompt appears.

Examples of this game interface design include markers on enemies' heads, signs on the map, or more specifically, the use of overlaid names on buildings and objects in Splinter Cell Conviction.

Meta

This is a very specific part of interface design because it describes elements that are within the game's story but not within the game space. It is design aimed at making the game experience even more immersive, for example, when drops of blood or shattered glass appear on the screen.

Specific examples of this can be found in "The Last of Us", where players can sense the presence of enemies through walls. The way information is displayed on screen is an example of meta interface design. It is part of the narrative, contributes to player immersion, and is not inside the game space but rather part of the protagonist's perception of the world.

What is the Optimal Game Interface Design?

We have briefly described the different types of interface design and given a few examples. It is easy to conclude that the best options often include a combination of elements to make the player's experience as effective as possible.

For example, GTA series games present users with a combination of all these elements. Diegetic game interface design is used when the protagonists use their phones; non-diegetic design appears when users select weapons; spatial design includes enemy markers; and meta design is present when they shoot at us and the screen is splattered with blood.

All these concepts are not applied individually. In most games, we will observe such combinations of interfaces depending on the capabilities and resources of each studio. It is this combination of elements that makes the game rich, intuitive, and fully immerses the player in the action.