Non-Diegetic Design
In the creation of the Non-Diegetic interface, it was important to create a heads-up display (HUD) that was recognisable to regular gamers. Specific information that is important to the player were chosen as these elements to show. These were: health, ammo and a map (see Image above). These were chosen as they convey important information to the player and are found in the average video game.
Another important aspect to Non-diegetic design is in game prompts. Prompts are used in the game demo through the notifications section. This is used to tell the player they cannot enter a specific area by telling them they need a key card. Notifications are also used to tell the player they have picked up a key card or a data pad. The notification for the data pad prompts the player to interact with the menu system to read the information
Diegetic Design
Unlike non-diegetic displays, diegetic displays are rendered within the game world and are part of the game world any element that can be perceived by the character of the story is diegetic. A Diegetic UI element is part of the game world and visible or audible to the character but also provides information to the player. An example of the Diegetic interface is the ammo counter as a component on the gun. The counter is visible to both the to the player and the character. The counter is part of the game fiction but also gives the player information at the same time, thus making it a diegetic UI element. Another example of this is the pad the player walks around with. The character is holding the pad throughout the game and can see everything the player cans see on the pad.
The main aspect of diegetic design is that it is part of the game world. This is not only relevant to items the player and character is carrying. Diegetic UI is used throughout the game world. An example of this is the buttons in the lift. The buttons are part of the lift and thus the game world on the Diegetic design as opposed to on a separate menu in the Non-Diegetic design. This means the player needs to interact with the world to move to the next level. This also plays into the use of diegetic sound in the game. If the player interacts with the “level 3” lift button before they can access level 3 a voice over will play telling the player that they cannot access this level and need a keycard. This sound is diegetic as it is played within the game world and is what the character hears in addition to the player.
Level design
It was important to ensure the level was designed well as if this aspect of the game was not immersive it could have impacted the interactivity of the diegetic design but also affect the overall feeling of immersion in the game which could impact the final results after testing. An aspect of the level design was to make the user feel cramped and claustrophobic. This was inspired by films such as Alien where the constricted space generates a strong feeling of claustrophobia and threat. this was done by creating small corridors that the user walks through regularly and also by filling up the space with objects to make the world feel full. Low lighting was also used to create a sense of horror. by having the area shrouded in darkness it can hide threats and dangers from the player.
illusional narrative was used in the level design of this game. Illusional narrative is the video game equivalent of what happens between edits in a movie. An example of this in this game was my lift system. The lift has no animation or movement, it merely teleports the player straight up to the next are in the game. The use of the exact same design of the lift rooms and the pausing between entering the lift, interaction with buttons, delay on teleportation and the automatic opening of the lift doors at the other end convinces the player that the lift has moved with them and not that they have moved without the lift.
Results
After conducting a study on ten participants with five playing the diegetic demo and the other five playing the non-diegetic demo. It appears the UI has very little effect on immersion, if any. All ten participants agreed that they found the game immersive but it is more likely that Story, lighting, environment and sound have a far larger impact on immersion than the user interface. One point that came up in the study is that the non-diegetic interface was much easier to use. Less participants in this group struggled to find the crew logs and key cards compared to the diegetic group. However, one of the diegetic participants felt the search for the crew logs and key cards made the game more immersive where others felt it made it less immersive. These differences between players show how people react differently to a similar environment. Perhaps, video games should have the option for players to choose between a diegetic and non-diegetic UI so the player can choose whichever they find more immersive. All participants in this study conducted the testing from home. In person testing could have yielded different results as it would have been in a more controlled environment. However, the home environment is a more realistic setting for video game players. Due to this, a controlled environment may not yield more accurate results in these circumstances. Larger scale testing should be conducted to further discover how significant of an affect UI has on immersion. This should incorporate the original plan involving eye tracking while still asking the qualitative questions to yield further understanding from participants.
