A dictionary of Game UI

accuracy: The accomplishment of a task with a given error rate or error range (EGUID).

avatar: The player's representation in the play space.

avatar relative mode: A control map that drives the avatar (Grim Fandango User Manual). Some games, such as Neverwinter Nights, call this drive mode.

bar: Any slim vertical or horizontal interface element.

briefing: A screen that informs a player of the objectives of a mission or a level in a game.

camera: The player's point of view into the play space.

camera relative mode: A control map that maintains directional compliance (Grim Fandango User Manual).

compass: An indication of exocentric heading in the virtual environment (3DUI).

check box: A box that may exist in two states: selected or unselected. The selection may appear as a check, a pip, a depressed button, or any number of toggles. In these more general forms, it is also called a toggle box or just a toggle (EGUID).

control map: The correspondence between inputs (such as keyboard buttons or a joystick's direction) and actions (such as jumping or walking).

cascading menu: A submenu that appears by selecting the item in another menu (EGUID).

command area: The portion of the screen for typing in commands. Also called the command-line or console (EGUID).

collocated: An interface element whose screen position is attached to an object in the play space (3DUI).

context: The conditions under which a player issues an input, such as avatar location (GDP).

decoration: Any object or modification to an object in the play space that has no effect on the player's performance.

degree of freedom (DOF): The number of dimensions in which a control may be moved. Sliders and most menus are 1-DOF. A palette is 2-DOF. The camera viewport in a 3D modeling program may be 3-DOF (3DUI).

directional compliance: A correspondence between the user's physical movement of a control and the movement of an object onscreen (3DUI). A game that intentionally destroys directional compliance is MirrorTime for the EyeToy.

egocentric: A camera that is relative to an avatar in a virtual environment. Some particular types of egocentric camera views are called first-person, over the shoulder, or cockpit (3DUI).

exocentric: A camera that is fixed in relation to the virtual environment or is significantly distant from the avatar. Some types of exocentric camera views are called third-person, isometric, scene-based, overhead, top-scroller, or side-scroller (3DUI).

expert player: A user of a game with a relatively large amount of game experience.

game experience: The amount of time the player has been actively playing any game in a particular videogame series.

game literacy: The amount of time a player has been exposed to a given genre of videogames.

goal setting: The method in which the user interface of a videogame informs the player of which tasks will be rewarded.

hierarchical menu: a structure of menus with submenus that may be selected from a main menu (EGUID).

heads-up display: An overlay on the play area that provides additional information. This is also used generically to apply to any static panels, toolbars, menu bars, or other interface elements that occlude the play area (3DUI).

information load: The amount of information that must be recalled in order to use an interface (EGUID).

journal: A screen or panel that displays a task list, clues, or other relevant information about a task or mission. The journal is dynamically updated to represent the current tasks.

keyboard equivalent: A keyboard combination that selects an item or executes a command. Also called a shortcut or a hotkey (EGUID).

landmark: An object in a virtual environment that is easily distinguished, so aids the player's navigation (3DUI).

linear menu: an invariant sequence of menus (EGUID).

lobby: An interface for selecting a game session, usually a multiplayer game.

intermediate player: A player with more game experience than a novice but less than an expert. Although the classification is relative and arbitrary, the classification can help distinguish how one population of players' needs differ from another's.

meter: A graphical display of a value as a partially filled area, such as a life meter, or an experience point meter. If this meter is shaped as a bar, it is also called a bar, as in a life bar or an experience bar.

minimap: A map that takes up a small amount of screen space, usually as an HUD element in the corner of the play area.

mission: A structured set of tasks that the player must perform in order to trigger a reward condition.

modality: Whether or not a dialog box prevents selection to other portions of the interface, such as in a pause screen (EGUID).

navigation: The method through which a player gets from a source to a target in a play space that exceeds the play area.

novice player: A user of a game with relatively little game experience, and perhaps little system experience also.

order of play: The method through which player actions are regulated. This is usually either real-time or turn-based.

orthogonality: The activation of an input does not affect the activation of another input. For example, in some action games, a player can independently jump and punch (GDP).

panel: A framed portion of a window which has more than one row and column (EGUID).

pie menu: A radial display of menu options; also called a radial menu (EGUID).

play area: The portion of the screen that views a portion of the play space. This is analogous to the work area in a busines application.

play space: The virtual environment that represents an entire level, zone, or field in which players may interact.

player: The user of a game, especially a videogame in this context.

player performance: Accomplishment of a task at a given speed with a given degree of accuracy.

pointer: The indication of the direction of a target in relationship to the camera or the avatar (3DUI).

pop-up menu: A menu that appears at the selection (EGUID).

private game: A game in which one of the players has control over which players are admitted. All single-player games, of course, are private games. An instanced area in a massively multiplayer game may also be referred to as a private area.

progress indicator: Feedback that estimates the amount of time or tasks remaining for an operation to be completed. If this is a bar that is filling up, it is usually called a progress bar (EGUID).

public game: A game in which no player has control over which players are admitted. A massively multiplayer game has many public areas.

quantitative interface element: Any interface element that is presented as a number or a meter. Such as the score.

qualitative interface element: Any interface element that is difficult to present as a number or a meter. Such as tools, spaces, decorations, journal, honors.

radar: A display of the avatar position and relative position of other important objects in the play space (3DUI).

radial menu: An arrangement of menu options at the perimeter of a circle. Also called a pie menu.

raycasting: Projecting a line from point, which can be used as a method of selecting an object in an virtual environment, such as when firing a weapon in a first-person shooter (3DUI).

real-time: A game in which a player may perform an additional action before all the players have had the opportunity to perform a action.

reference frame: The view from which a camera (and therefore a player) sees the play space. The two general reference frames are egocentric and exocentric (3DUI).

ring menu: A menu that has the structure of a circular list, so that advancing beyond the end of the menu returns the selection basket to the opposite end of the menu (3DUI).

score: A quantitative rating of the player's performance.

space: Any arrangement of contiguous positions that may consistently traversed. This includes puzzles, mazes, and levels.

speed: The accomplishment of a given task within a given duration (EGUID).

selection basket: The highlighted item in a menu (3DUI).

selection volume: A volume (usually simplified) that may be intersected by a method of accessing an object in a virtual environment, such as by raycasting. When this is a rectangular solid, it is also called bounding box (3DUI).

slider: A bar with a current value that may be repositioned anywhere on that bar (EGUID).

system control: Altering a global parameter of the application or the system (3DUI).

system experience: The amount of time a player has been playing games on a particular platform (such as PS2 or PC) (EGUID).

tab: An edge of a panel that acts similar to a menu bar, except that each item corresponds to a panel (EGUID).

target highlighting: Calling attention to a location or object in the play area, on a map, or in a radar.

task: A sequence of actions or a condition whose completion rewards the player.

task list: A sequence of sentences, each which describes an action that will be rewarded if completed by the player. The task list may also include a check box beside each task.

tearoff menu: A menu that may be repositioned by drag-and-drop (EGUID).

timer: A display of time remaining or time passed for a given operation or task in a videogame (EGUID).

tool: Any game piece that may be used to assist in accomplishing a task, such as an item, skill, or unit (in an RTS).

toolbar: A vertical or horizontal arrangement of icons, which are in this context, referred to as tools (EGUID).

tooltip: A pop-up message that provides information about the tool or icon in focus (EGUID).

turn-based: A game in which each player is given an opportunity to act once before any player may act again (GDP).

upgrade set: A collection of advanced abilities or items that a player may purchase with a game currency, such as skill points, experience points, videotapes, or any other unit of currency in the game's theme.

upgrade tree: A collection of advanced abilities or items that is structured so that a player must first acquire the prior upgrade before gaining access to subsequent upgrades.

virtual environment: The representation of (3D) physical space in a computer's data which is displayed to the user through output devices (3DUI).

wayfinding: The method in which a player navigates through a virtual environment from a source location to a target location (3DUI).

you are here (YAH): A marker on a map that indicates the location of the avatar (3DUI).