Most UIs in games today look boring, like placeholders that were supposed to get a proper design but never did. The reason UIs lost all personality is because games became popular with normies, and publishers realized they could save time and money by stripping them down to the bare minimum. Why bother with artistic design when you can slap on a generic UI template and still sell million copies to soulless consumers who don’t care either way?
Soyrim started the trend with its clean, lifeless UI, btw.
After that, modern games jumped on the same trend. They all look the same now. Doesn’t matter if it’s a sci-fi shooter or a medieval fantasy RPG, the UI feels like a generic mobile app.
Old games, by contrast, made the UI feel like an extension of the game world, stylistically in sync with the visuals, atmosphere, and tone. Take Diablo, for example. TheUI fit the game’s dark, gothic tone perfectly. The stone textures looked like they were made in the same world you were playing in.
I think game UIs are important. They’re not just decoration. They set the tone, build immersion, and contribute to the worldbuilding.
Soyrim started the trend with its clean, lifeless UI, btw.
After that, modern games jumped on the same trend. They all look the same now. Doesn’t matter if it’s a sci-fi shooter or a medieval fantasy RPG, the UI feels like a generic mobile app.
Old games, by contrast, made the UI feel like an extension of the game world, stylistically in sync with the visuals, atmosphere, and tone. Take Diablo, for example. TheUI fit the game’s dark, gothic tone perfectly. The stone textures looked like they were made in the same world you were playing in.
I think game UIs are important. They’re not just decoration. They set the tone, build immersion, and contribute to the worldbuilding.
