Head-up displays: limiting immersion?
Gamasutra writer Greg Wilson examines the problem of conveying information in games without limiting immersiveness. Traditionally, video game designers have tacked on a persistent head-up display (or HUD) that notifies players of their health and weapons status, among other things. The problem with HUDs is that they can remove the player from the game, making the player realise they are "just playing a game". Also, a HUD filled to the brink with icons and text is daunting for casual players and can increase the learning curve.
With new technology such as high definition hitting the console market, Gamasutra suggests that game designers think a little more carefully about how to convey information to the player. Using visual clues featured in games such as Call of Duty 2 (where red flashes indicate low health) and Doom 3 (which features an ammo read-out on weapons) is the desired solution to this problem.
As the article concludes, if game designers want to create more "sophisticated levels of immersion and intuitive gameplay in their creations, they will no doubt devise equally sophisticated and unique ways to communicate critical information to the player." Sure, just as long as they don't insist on brain implants to feed us our current score in Counter-Strike.
[Thanks, m3mnoch]
[Update: Minor change in grammar for opening sentence]
