This week is gonna be a double feature with a podcast by me and a guest post by another blogger.
Here's the blog by Audon Archibald. His blog about Magic: The Gathering can be found here: https://forceofwontmtg.wordpress.com/
An Analysis of
Game Aesthetics: Hearthstone
The Pregame Interface
Here
are your three main menu options: Play the game. Play the game. Play
the game. Sure there are relevant options regulated to the sides of
the screen, but impossible to miss is the simple word 'Play' in the
center of the screen. This style of menu design (which carries over
to every platform, in this case we are looking at the recently
released iPhone version) lends itself primarily to ease of access. If
players want to play, there's really no opportunity for them to get
lost among the menu options. The ambiance is bright, friendly, and
easy to navigate, perfect for drawing in new players.
Here
we have the deck building interface, which combines a surprisingly
small amount of tools to create a very interactive experience for the
player without overwhelming them. Only eight cards are included on
the screen at any given time, with the full text of each card
readable as you browse the options. Search options take up a very
small portion of the screen but are still very easy to see due to the
intuitive use of shape and highlighting that distinguish the elements
from everything else. The deck list is displayed prominently to the
side, with names, costs, and number of copies of a card in the deck
all displayed at the same time to again accentuate the ease of the
UI.
In
Game Interface
Hearthstone's
in game UI again represents a maximization of usability, with
elements such as the shape of the minions (which can be different to
distinguish different abilities) to the clear representation of a
minions power and health via different symbols and colors (the sword
for power and a blood drop for health). In addition, the cost of the
cards in your hand are linked to the mana available to you in the
bottom right corner both by the use of the same symbol and clear
numbered representation wherever these costs are concerned. The
placement of these board pieces, from the larger, uniquely shaped
player pieces to the smaller, rounded minion pieces creates the
feeling that you as the player are creating this army of sorts and
are in direct competition with the only similar sized piece on the
board quite well.
As
far as art direction goes, the half serious, half whimsical nature
allows a player to fit in with how they'd best like their Hearthstone
experience, be it a serious one focused on victory or a more
experienced based one focused on the game itself. To help preserve
the recognition of these minions across the board, the UI allows
amble space to clearly distinguish pieces from each other while
creating clearly defined borders on each card that emphasizes the
individuality of parts rather than an overall theme that the parts
must adhere to.
Conclusion
While
the debate on whether or not Hearthstone is an overall superior game
to Magic: The Gathering is not something I'm making a statement on
here, it's certainly the superior CCG when it comes to the online
experience, ease of access for now players, and smoothness of play,
largely in part to its incredibly effective interface and intuitive
card design, catering to players of all skill and intensity levels
masterfully. While it's not something I play often, I can objectively
appreciate what it's done to the gaming field and card games in
general. Thanks for reading and have a good one!
