Creating immersive menu systems in video games : menu systems in an early access game

Highly immersive user interfaces in games are difficult to perfect in terms of good user experience. Prior studies have shown that immersiveness comprises of multiple aspects that can be used separately, but often the full potential is not used in games. This thesis aims to analyze applicable theories of user interface and user experience design that combined can create immersive experiences in games. An immersive menu layout was designed and created for an early access video game of a fantasy genre. Testing for evaluating the effectiveness of the created menu design is not within the scope of this thesis. The research in this thesis implies that applying numerous theories require greater time contributions from different developer roles, and so, many game studios may not see focusing on immersive user interfaces as a worthy investment. It is recommended as a good practice to have plans for immersive menus at the beginning of a project and to design everything else while having this in mind. If an immersive menu is designed afterwards, changes to other systems could be required which elongate development time. Games can be immersive without having a narrative reasoning behind every asset or mechanic. The worth of creating high immersion and utilizing its multiple aspects depends on what the project itself wants to convey