Diegesis in game UI and HUDs and its perceived effects on player immersion in modern open world games

Abstract

Diegetic and non-diegetic elements in game user interfaces (UIs) and heads-up displays (HUDs) are used in open world. However, their effect on player immersion is still debated. This thesis carried out a comparative analysis of the UIs and HUDs of two similar games in the Far Cry franchise (i.e., Far Cry 2 and Far Cry 6), using a theoretical framework to discuss how the diegetic and non-diegetic UIs found in these two games, influence different levels of immersion. These two games were selected because Far Cry 2 can be considered predominantly diegetic in its user interface design, whilst Far Cry 6 makes use of non-diegetic user interfaces. The Design Space Model (Fagerholt and Lorentzon, 2009) was used to categorise the different UIs/HUDs found in both games. The effect of the interfaces and how they influence player’s immersion (through agency, perception and emotion), was critically discussed and related to relevant literature. The comparative analyses concluded that whilst diegetic elements can influence player’s immersion through different ways, the player’s characteristics (e.g., the player’s gaming experience and skill base) needs to be considered when studying player’s immersion. Therefore, it is recommended that players with different levels of gaming experience, skill sets and interests are included when comparing the effect of diegetic UI elements on immersion. Further empirical studies are needed to compare the effect of diegetic and non-diegetic elements in open-world games on player’s immersion, especially by comparing two different versions of the same game with different approaches to diegesis.