http://www.surl.org/usabilitynews/102/FPS.asp
Examining the Critical User Interface Components of First-Person
Shooter (FPS) Games Kelsi
Lenz & Doug Fox
Summary: First-person shooter (FPS)
video games have become the 3rd highest selling genre of video game in
the entertainment software industry. One important component of a FPS
is the interface that provides feedback on a player’s status in the
game. In this study, gamers were surveyed on the most critical design
elements of FPS user interfaces. They rated ammunition, radar, and
health indicators as three of the most critical interface aspects for
gameplay. Specific design characteristics of each of these indicators
were also provided. These design specifications can assist game
developers in creating intuitive FPS interfaces.
Entertainment software has quickly become one of the
fasting growing industries (ESA, 2008). The Entertainment Software
Association (2008) reported that computer and video game revenue had
reached $9.5 billion in 2007, a 6% increase. This translates into an
annual growth rate of over 17%, compared to an annual growth rate of
less than 4% for the entire U.S. economy (Siwek, 2007). About 65% of
American households play games. One genre of video games that is
becoming increasingly popular is the first-person shooter (FPS) video
game. A FPS game immerses a player in a virtual 3D environment with a
first-person-view of their character and equipped weapon (see Figure 1).
First-person shooters have become the 3rd highest selling genre of
video games, comprising 12.1% of sales. Halo 3
TM accrued
more revenue its first day of sale than the movie "Spiderman 3" in its
opening weekend (ESA, 2008).
With the popularity of this genre, it is important to
ensure that the games are accessible and usable to all those who wish to
play them. One way to do this is to determine the most important
aspects of FPS interface design, and specifically, the best way to
design these aspects so that they are intuitive and usable to the
majority of players. This study reports on a survey distributed to
gamers which queried the most critical design elements of FPS game user
interfaces.
Figure 1. First-person shooter view in Halo 3. Method Participants Ninety-four participants (9 female, 85 male; Mean age =
27.9(SD=8.0) years) participated in this study. All participants used a
computer at home on average for 2.8 hours per day and at work or school
for 3.3 hours per day. Participants reported playing games on the
computer for 4.6 hours per day. They spent an average of 7.3 hours a
day on the Internet, playing online games for an average of 4.6 hours
per day. All were experienced PC and mouse users, and most had
experience with gamepads and joysticks (see Table 1). Ninety-three
participants reported using the internet daily. Forty-five reported
playing games daily, while 29 played at least 5 times per week.
Eighty-five reported playing games online.
Table 1. Number of participants having experience with
the following types of computers or computer devices. None 1 to 5 months 6 to 11 months 1 to 2 years 3 + years PC or Compatible PlayStation Gamepad Xbox Gamepad Mouse Joystick
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 92 |
16 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 58 |
30 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 47 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 93 |
11 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 60 |
Materials An online survey constructed in mrInterview
TM pertaining to varying aspects of FPS interface design and demographics
was used.
Procedure A link to the online survey was provided in the July 2008
issue of Usability News, as well as to gaming listservs and local
organizations.
Results Survey results revealed that three of the most important
aspects of interface design are ammunition, radar, and health
indicators—with 87% of the gamers reporting ammunition information
important, 90% indicated that radar was important, and 93% reporting
that health information was important. Design specifications for each
element were reported as follows:
Ammunition Over half the gamers (57%) indicated that placement of the
ammunition indicator onscreen is critical to gameplay. Most gamers
(53%) preferred the bottom right as the placement for the ammunition
indicator (see Table 2). When ammunition is low, a "flash" or change of
color for the indicator was the most preferred warning signal (see
Table 3).
Table 2. Most gamers (45) preferred the bottom right for
placement of the ammunition indicator. Top Left Top Right Bottom Left Bottom Right Other
Table 3. Gamers preferred a "flash" or change of color
for warnings of low ammunition. What type of "Low Ammunition" warning to you prefer? Frequency
| Ammunition indicator "flashes" | 40 |
| Ammunition indicator turn a different color | 49 |
| Warning message appears | 9 |
| Game makes an audio noise (i.e. beeps) | 23 |
| Game make a verbal warning (i.e. "low ammo") | 12 |
| Other | 7 |
Radar The placement of the radar was also very important, with
83% of those surveyed indicating that that it was important to gameplay.
The most preferred location of the radar was the top right portion of
the screen. In order to successfully track enemies on the radar, gamers
suggested that they be displayed using a differentiating color (see
Figure 2). There was no clear consensus for the most preferred radar
design (see Table 4). There was about an even split between the compass
style radar (see Figure 3a) and the fixed center radar (see Figure 3b),
while the full map view was the least preferred radar (see Figure 3c).
Figure 2. Most gamers preferred that enemies be
differentiated by color on the radar. Table 4. Gamers had no clear preference for radar
design. Compass/Cardinal Direction Style Fixed Center Style Full Map View
Figure 3a. Example of compass radar. 
Figure 3b. Example of fixed center radar. 
Figure 3c. Example of full map radar. Health Health placement was also indicated as important by 77% of
the gamers. However, there was not a clear preference for the location
of the health indicator (see Table 5). Flashing of the indicator was
the most important warning of damage to the character (see Table 6). As
for health status, the majority of the participants reported that the
color green should be used to represent "good" health and red for "low"
health, with 84% of gamers selecting green and 96% choosing red.
Table 5. Results indicated that there was not a
preferred location placement for the health indicator. Top Left Top Right Bottom Left Bottom Right Other
Table 6. Gamers preferred a flash of the indicator when
their character experienced damage. How do you prefer to be notified of damage to your character's health? Frequency
| Flashing of the indicator | 65 |
| Changing of color or size of the indicator | 35 |
| Audio Warnings | 19 |
| Other | 19 |
Aiming In addition to display information, the preferred method
of aiming was also examined by crosshair design. Being able to aim and
acquire targets is highly dependent upon this element.
A fine crosshair or duplex crosshair were two of the most
preferred crosshair styles for short-range weapons (i.e. machine guns)
and long-range weapons (i.e. sniper rifle). In addition to fine and
duplex crosshairs, modern range finding and mil-dot were also crosshairs
commonly selected for long-range weapons. Table 7 lists the crosshair
preferences.
Table 7. Frequency results for the crosshair chosen
based on whether it was used for a short-range weapon or long-range
weapon. Crosshair Crosshair Example Short-range Weapons Long-range Weapons
Fine crosshair Duplex crosshair German reticule Target dot
Mil-dot Circle (shotgun style)
Modern range finding SVD Type
 | 29 | 20 |
 | 23 | 21 |
 | 8 | 0 |
 | 12 | 12 |
 | 4 | 15 |
 | 10 | 6 |
 | 5 | 18 |
 | 3 | 2 |
Discussion Based on these survey results, there appears to be
consensus on the important aspects of FPS interfaces. Ammunition,
radar, and health indicators are all considered critical to gameplay by
users, and the majority agree on how these should be displayed. This
type of information is important for game developers so they design game
interfaces in a way that is intuitive to the majority of users. Future
research should focus more on areas of FPS interfaces for which there
was not a clear consensus, such as the placement of the health
indicator, radar design, or style of crosshair. In addition, usability
testing of the alternative interface styles should be done to examine
the extent to which user performance may be influenced by each.
References Siwek, Stephen. (2007). Video games in the 21st century:
Economic contribution of the US entertainment software industry.
Entertainment Software Association, 1-36.
Entertainment Software Association. (2008). 2008
essential facts about the computer and video game industry.
Entertainment Software Association, 1-16.
por FILIP_FB Qua Dez 05, 2012 11:20 am
