How to process an intense screen of information?
Once again, thinking out loud.
When playing a hectic game, or a hectic part of a calm game, where things are all around the screen for me to keep track of I stop changing focus.
Take a game like Super Stardust HD, Geometry Wars or hectic moments in Viewtiful Joe. You're forced to look in every corner of the screen while at the same time, most of all, keep track of your avatar and have it avoid and defeat obstacles, bullets and other hazards.
This also applies for when running very fast in a platforming/action game where things are leaving and entering the screen in a radid pace.
What I do, if I'm "in the zone" is to stop moving my eyes and just stare at the center of the screen, using my peripheral vision. Hopefully, I know the game well enough to decode the information with the more abstract information given using this technique. For example, I think you're color blind in the peripheral vision but increase your ability to distinguish variations in luminosity.
I know I'm not the only one doing this. And probably, there are people doing this without even noticing it.
I'd love to have numbers as to how many of us there are, but I'm afraid I don't.
Something like that.
There are probably way more techniques used to be able to process all the information on screen when a lot of things are going on.
As often, I'm thinking out loud here, but maybe this is something we can consider in game design? How will the player process the amount of information shown? How can we help the players?
In intense action games, make objects in the outskirts big and obvious perhaps?
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July 31st, 2009 - 03:09
I, for one, know I do this. It get’s overwhelming when you’re trying to watch everything… waaay to much stimulus. Rez is a good example of this. For some of those boss fights you need to just watch the center of the screen and let your hands work in your peripheral vision.
August 1st, 2009 - 01:01
Thanks for agreeing. I looked at your site and I think Moldering looks awesome; I’ll keep an eye on it from now on.
August 1st, 2009 - 11:08
Not sure what you mean here. Peripheral vision is actually more acute then focused vision but indeed monochrome. This means not that, as your pictures illustrate, our vision is blurry around the edges, but the other way around. It is actually more crisp around the edges but also completely monochrome.
Now remember your Gibsonian cognitive psychology, we understand shapes from edges, colors and sizes. So in your example, desaturating objects farther from the players point of focus (in Stardust HD, the avatar) would make the information on the screen a lot faster to understand.
However, it would look quite strange to people not playing the game.
Great read!
August 3rd, 2009 - 09:03
the thing with twitch-based gameplay is that almost all processing on the players side is done on a subconscious level. once you try to concentrate on what is happening, you’re going to lose. (this is why i listen to music or talk on the phone while playing those games. helps me crack my own highscores).
in the case of games like geometry wars, coding is key. give the enemies distinct shapes, colors, sounds and introduce them properly, so the player can learn their behavior and later on read them properly when mid-game.
it’s all about readability. it always is.
August 3rd, 2009 - 10:34
@Jesper
Yeah, maybe that’s how it is.
@gutek
It gotta suck if you’re getting a really high score and the person you’re talking to hang up.