Visual Sign Posting in Games

A technique many games make good use of, is visual sign-posting. A notable example being Journey from ThatGameCompany. The game begins without context in which the only apparent objective is to approach the large mountain on the horizon which has a bright light atop it. The use of light to highlight areas of interest in games in highly effective.

This subtly suggests to the player that this is the direction in which the must proceed. Simple sign posting such as this makes the player feel as though they are exploring the game world based on their instincts and their own choices, as opposed to the designers intention. Mysterious ruins scattered throughout the desert landscape provide hints at the back-story of the game.

Mirror's edge, though an older game, makes good use of the colour red to define the intended path to the player. It indicates objects which can be climbed/run over etc. Though a clear path, such obvious visual sign posting as this can have the effect of making the player continuously aware that they are playing a game, as climbable objects in real life are not simply all the same colour. It can even reinforce to the player all the current constraints that the game imposes on their play, and furthermore, makes them at all times aware that they are following an intended path. Journey's approach to visual sign posting felt much more natural. A slight breeze pointing you in the right direction, whereas Mirror's Edge's approach is more like a sharp prod.

Dear Esther, from Thechineseroom received much critical acclaim due to its innovative approch to environmental storytelling and have even been the spark of yet another debate about what constitutes a game, and whether or not games are art. The lead artist, Robert Briscoe spoke at the 2012 Game Developers Conference about adding history to the environment through the implementation of details such as old shipwrecks, to build a past and not just a present, and stated that this helps to define the reality of the game world.

Both Journey and Dear Esther use this technique excellently in that the implications of a time long past is soft and subtle enough not to remove the player from the game. Light was important in Dear Esther, as it was in Journey. Especially in the caves, the light represented a path to follow, furthered by the glowing patterns and writing on the walls.