The Impact of Diegetic and Non-diegetic User Interfaces on the Player Experience in FPS Games

Abstract: In this study, a video game prototype was developed to research the impacts of diegetic and non-diegetic interfaces on two facets of player experience in the context of video games, game difficulty and immersion. A total of 10 participants took part in a play session where they played the prototype, which was followed by semi-structured interviews where the participants discussed their perceived player experience. The transcribed interviews were then analyzed using a thematic analysis approach to find recurring patterns in relation to perceived difficulty and immersion. The findings of this study showed that diegetic interfaces were perceived as more difficult but more immersive in general, while the opposite was true for non-diegetic interfaces.