I'm starting to find that HUDs in games clutter the screen and take away from being fully immersed in the game. I like games that force you to pay attention to what's going on in the game and not numbers/markers on the edges of the display. What are some of your favorite games to play with no HUD? Here are a few of mine:

Astroneer - this game has tool tips on screen but that's about it. There isn't even an inventory, all objects are interactive and you can physically place them on your backpack.

Battlefield 1 - super gritty and immersive, but playing without a HUD really puts you at a disadvantage online.

Red Dead Redemption 2 - I liked that you could hide the HUD, but the mini-map was a tap on the d-pad away if you get lost. It was a super immersive experience!

Grand Theft Auto 5 - maybe not designed to be played without the HUD, once you get used to the layout of the city this becomes a lot easier, and you focus more on landmarks to navigate and again this really increased immersion. Sometimes finding things in missions wasn't obvious and required consulting the map but otherwise this was enjoyable.

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[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago (5 children)

Gotta be honest here.

Immersion has no meaning to me and I don't understand the obsession.

[–] leave_it_blank@lemmy.world 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I never forgot the woman who asked me to look for her husband, I found him, dead, killed by bandits. She was in tears, saying life would never be the same.

Five minutes later I sold her stuff, and she was like "Nice weather today, isn't it?".

That killed every immersion at that moment.

It was Skyrim. It has fantastic moments, but there are lots of moments that kill every immersion it built up on a grand scale.

[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

See stuff like that just makes me laugh though.

Like I kinda get what you mean but stuff like physics glitches and weird moments like your described just make me laugh.

Even in a serious situation like a grand epic battle the sight of a deceased character model slowly vibrating before launching into the cosmos is hilarious to me.

Or in your case a widow who's heartbroken and sobbing then the cutscene ends and she's just "hi how can I help you today?" in a cheerful tone and I just burst out laughing

[–] PolishAndrew@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

Immersion is one aspect, but I also find that artists put so much work into creating great visuals, it almost feels like I'm ignoring the great things to look at by chasing dots on a map. I really just want experiences that help me focus more on the world in front of me.

[–] MudMan@kbin.social 5 points 11 months ago

Immersion is a bit overused and misunderstood.

It maybe works better as "suspension of disbelief", like in other fiction. You sustain it and you can go very abstract. You break it and things get weird.

[–] smeg@feddit.uk 4 points 11 months ago

People get immersed in different ways. Some people get involved in the story, putting themselves in the character's shoes and imagining it's a real world. Some people get lost in the gameplay, enjoying the mechanics and focusing entirely on completing the challenge. For some people it's TV, film, books, or just chatting at the pub and losing track of time. I'm sure you get immersed in something!

[–] kratoz29@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago

I'm on your side a bit, I mean, I hate getting lost, for me that ain't immersion, having a HUD or being able to look beyond your usual sight scope is awesome and one of the best features of the videogames which are an escape of our mostly boring life.

With that being said, the other day I was playing BOTW (with HUD) in handheld mode in pitch dark (late night) with my headphones put on and I felt totally immersed more than when I play on my 50 inch TV, IDK, it just helps you to isolate in Hyrule that way I think.