Let’s see if the FPS game SUPERHOT has an accessible UI for older adult gamers.
Identifying how an FPS user interface meets the needs of an older adult audience might seem counterintuitive when the base gameplay is usually so heavily dependent upon reflex driven play and careful aiming at high speeds, which would likely make this genre of game unplayable for many older adults dealing with decreases in central and peripheral vision, as well as decreases in fine motor control and stamina (Finn & Johnson, 2017). However, with some research on FPS games, looking specifically for non-traditional, innovative titles, I remembered a game that makes a lot of choices that are perfect for older adults: SUPERHOT (SUPERHOT Team, 2016).
SUPERHOT is an FPS where the elements in the world—projectiles, enemies, weapons, etc., do not move unless the player is in motion (SUPERHOT Team, 2016). Along with this unique ability for the player to strategize and set their own pace in an FPS, which is perfect for older adults who will typically see slowing in their aiming and psychomotor responses, it is important to note that SUPERHOT doesn’t have a traditional, non-diegetic in-game HUD (SUPERHOT Team, 2016). Instead the game uses diegetic feedback, in the form of bright red bullet trails that are extremely high contrast to the white-dominated background (SUPERHOT Team, 2016).
With the vision changes that happen in aging, having bright, saturated, high-contrasting color is an excellent way to make things more visible (Finn & Johnson, 2017; SUPERHOT Team, 2016). The enemies are in the same shade of orange-red, and so the player will recognize the bullets as a threat because of their clear visual association with the enemy (SUPERHOT Team, 2016).
Another way this game differs from traditional FPS games, where weapon and ammunition dumps are often located relatively generously in the world, is that the player collects weapons dropped by enemies, and there are interactive elements in the environment they can pick up and use to damage enemies (SUPERHOT Team, 2016). As with the bullets, these elements are high contrast as they are black in a predominantly white world, they just aren’t brightly colored as the bullets and enemies are (Finn & Johnson, 2017; SUPERHOT Team, 2016).
The controls, an important element of the interface in any video game, are relatively simple considering the game is played on PC, consisting of WASD for movement, spacebar to jump, mouse to aim, left click to shoot, and right click to drop a weapon (SUPERHOT Team, 2016). The nature of gameplay allows players to input commands individually, versus them being required to be used in combination, which is also a strength when considering older adults (Finn and Johnson, 2017; SUPERHOT Team, 2016).
Difficulty of control scheme is one of the most common player complaints in testing, and simplification while supporting gameplay is the goal to strive for in design (Isbister & Schaffer, 2008). The game also has a “god” mode, where the player character becomes invulnerable, should the player get stuck on a particularly challenging level (SUPERHOT Team, 2016). This is another choice that supports the needs of older adult players that might otherwise become fatigued or frustrated when blocked by stuck points (Finn & Johnson, 2017).
The main menu for the game ties to the game’s narrative and is meant to mimic pre-GUI manual input menus, it carries the same color scheme of white, black, and red as the in-game objects (SUPERHOT Team, 2016). Though likely in no way intentional, Gen-X older adults would have grown up with this type of interface in their elementary, middle, and even high school years, before GUI’s became widespread in use.
This familiarity would potentially make it easier for older adults to navigate the menu as intended. Also, since reading speed is one aspect of performance that doesn’t worsen for older adults, having a text-based menu isn’t a detriment in and of itself (Finn & Johnson, 2017; SUPERHOT Team, 2016). It would be helpful if the player could manipulate the size of the font to make it more legible, or if there was a text-reader option (Finn & Johnson, 2017).
Feedback is also dramatically clear in the game, with enemies exploding into red fragments around the space, another good design choice for older adult players (Finn & Johnson, 2017; Isbister & Schaffer, 2008; SUPERHOT Team, 2016).
References
Finn, K., & Johnson, J. (2017). Designing user interfaces for an aging population [eBookedition]. Morgan Kaufmann. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/designing-user-interfaces/9780128045121/XHTML/B9780128044674000025/B9780128044674000025.xhtml
Isbister, K., & Schaffer, N. (2008). Game usability [eBook edition]. CRC Press. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/gameusability/9780123744470/K16163_C005.xhtml
SUPERHOT Team. (2016). SUPERHOT. (Version 1.0). SUPERHOT Team. https://superhotgame.com/