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Play, download and edit the free video Game Pre-Vis - GUI HUD Examples.

I thought I would add these two videos to show an example of some pre-vis work I have done for game HUDs. Neither of these ended up being used as they were just early proof-of-concepts.

Having worked on lots of HUDs and GUIs for games, and as a fan of the fake GUI effects seen in most modern day sci-fi films (with Minority Report and Iron Man being two significant trailblazers in that aspect), I have noticed a strange feedback loop. Fake GUIs in films have obviously been influenced by a history of computer game GUIs, and then in return, people designing and making game GUIs are then inspired by the visual richness seen in well executed fake GUIs. With regards to this I've realised an often overlooked distinction between real GUI and fake GUI.

More often than not, the purpose of a fake GUI is to communicate something simple and specific about the narrative (eg hacking into a system, or being alerted to danger on a radar), whilst enriching the visual style and design of the film. As it's purpose is to communicate something simple, it usually allows for a lot of visual flourish that can make it look impressive in the film context but would often be impractical as a real piece of GUI.

A game GUI, especially a HUD, often doesn't have the luxury of only having to convey a simple message, and instead it has to continually communicate a variety of information that allows the user to understand their game status in real-time. I've seen some real game HUDs suffer as they have lost sight of this in the pursuit to make them 'more like Film A'. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that fake GUIs have helped push and evolve real GUI design, but it's all about getting the right balance.

In this example, the video on the left shows the behaviour of an in game reticule. The aim was to introduce more of a fake GUI style, whilst still communicating all of the functionality of the weapon whilst not interfering or obstructing from the game.

The video on the right shows a HUD widget for a pretty complex (in terms of functionality) shield and health system. This would have been placed away in the corner and in the player's peripheral vision. My intention with this was to create something that used bold and complimentary movement so that the player can decipher the information whilst never having to break their focus on the main centre area of the screen.

moGRR.co.uk

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