A) select one game of your interest and explain why does it have a good/bad game UI
User interfaces can make or break games; without a simple, streamlined display the immersion of the player in the game can be ruined. Fortunately for Hearthstone players, the interface in this game is slick, stylish and compliments how the game is played.
After watching a GDC talk about the development of Hearthstone’s user interface, I learnt that it is an aspect of the game that the designers took very seriously. It took multiple iterations and redesigns for them to decide on a strong theme that balanced charm and simplicity. The idea of physicality is what drives this design; having grown up collecting cards as children, the designers wanted to translate that sense of magic into how the game should feel when being played and when opening card packs. They settled on a design that made the game look like it was expertly hand-crafted and carried value – an incentive for players to purchase and collect cards. The most interesting part of this design for me is how integral it is to the game; the mechanics and user interface influence each other – rather than like some games where the UI is an afterthought.
Hearthstone
Overall, I would say Hearthstone has one of the most elegant and meaningful user interfaces in all of gaming; each texture, sound and animation has been specifically selected to direct players and best create the illusion of a physical experience.
B) discuss how technology augments human abilities. Reflect upon the implications of the future of HCI.
Voice commands are becoming a more popular way to interact with computers at home and on the go. Software such as Siri has been a staple on Apple products for a while now, with equivalents on competing mobile devices appearing shortly after, but the introduction of voice activated home devices is a relatively new feature.
The dream of a ‘smart’ home is still yet to be a reality for most people but products such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home are pushing that dream. Being able to control home appliances and general household duties with voice commands is slowly being implemented; at least 8% of US households are estimated to have an Amazon Echo according to The Guardian. This number is expected to grow, thus more companies are going to jump into the smart home device market and push the smart home dream.
Google Home
What this means for the future is that this type of technology is going to improve year by year until we can seamlessly control every aspect of our homes with a short sentence. Because of this, products may be stripped back due to the lack of a need to use buttons; after all, humans are able to talk much quicker than they are able to type or navigate menus. The combination of AR and VR technology mixed with voice commands might be the way forward for the innovation of smart devices.
Sources:
https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1022036/Hearthstone-How-to-Create-an
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/22/home-battleground-amazon-google-voice-technology