Hey folks, I’m back to writing blog things. I’m sure you were heartbroken while I was off writing in other places (my attempt to start a website), but no need to fret. So, how about them video games, huh?
By their very nature, video games of every stripe have to communicate volumes of information to the player. In most games, elements like health and equipment are placed around the borders of the screen in an handy dandy heads up display (or HUD as I’m going to continue calling it. Handy dandy heads up display is just too much to type more than once.) In many open games, with larger worlds for players to explore, the designers will add a small map to the HUD. This minimap shows where the player is in the world around them. The main functions of the minimap are exploration, enemy placement, and GPS directions. Each of these functions is helpful but they all lead to the same issue, which is the focus of this article. Every function of the minimap, where useful, creates the potential to distract the player (namely me) from the gameworld that the level designers and artists worked so hard to create.
Note: In this piece I will be detailing my own problems with the minimaps used in video games. First, I will explain the minimap function then I will go into the issue this creates for me. I am not a game designer. I am writing this because it’s on my mind, and I believe we should be constantly analyzing and discussing all facets of game design. I am coming from the direction of an academic fascinated by the narrative forms and mechanical devices of video games.
