Game State Indicators
Players are given information about a certain part of the game state or other players through other means than observing a diegetic game element.
This pattern is a still a stub.
Contents
Examples
The HUD displays[1] used in first-person shooters like the Doom, Quake, and Half-Life series display the health and ammunition status of players. Although the Half-Life series diegetically motivates this as part of the technology of a protective suit it is not affected by any events in the game world and is thereby equal to being outside the game world. Racing games such as the Mario Kart series and the Need for Speed series also makes use of HUD-like displays to show the speed and position of the vehicles in ongoing races.
Minimaps
Using the pattern
Time Pressure Drop-In/Drop-Out Time Limits Dedicated Game Facilitators Exaggerated Perception of Influence Capture
When considering what information to provide with Game State Indicators, there is a difference between showing information that a player's Avatar or Units would be able to detect and those otherwise impossible to detect. The first alternative can cover problems with the interface presentation not being detailed enough while the other can be used to provide Game State Overviews.
Diegetic Aspects
Providing information about the game state or Game World in non-diegetic ways of course risks breaking Diegetic Consistency. Explaining the information diegetically can however lessen the impact of the Game State Indicators and avoid losing Narrative Engrossment if that is striven for.
Interface Aspects
Narrative Aspects
Consequences
Game State Indicators change Game Worlds in the sense that they allow players to perceive more of them than would otherwise be possible.
Relations
Can Instantiate
Can Modulate
Can Be Instantiated By
Can Be Modulated By
Possible Closure Effects
Potentially Conflicting With
History
A renamed version of the pattern Status Indicators that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design[2].
