Video Game Interfaces and Diegesis: The Impact on Experts and Novices' Performance and Experience in Virtual Reality

When playing action video games, an optimal experience implies the presence of a head-up display that informs players on their status in regard of their goal like health points or their localization in the environment. However, how can this type of information can be integrated in new gaming contexts like virtual reality? Should this information be integrated into the game universe (diegetic design) or stay out of it (non-diegetic design)? For this purpose, the performance, presence, and enjoyment of 41 players have been measured during a virtual reality first-person shooter game session with a diegetic and a non-diegetic interface. The results showed that diegetic integration has a positive effect on the player's performance but not on the subjective experience (presence and enjoyment). The study also shed light on the moderator role of expertise in action games on this effect because the diegetic interface only benefited novice players.

Automated summary

This study compared the effects of diegetic and non-diegetic interfaces on player performance and subjective experience in virtual reality games, finding that diegetic integration had a positive impact on player performance but not on subjective experience, with only novice players benefiting from the diegetic interface.