Glossary
This glossary aims to provide context to any unfamiliar terms used throughout the site with the backing of research displayed in the references section.
If accessing during the presentation, please note that the glossary hosted here has been utilised in order to avoid unnecessary paper waste, in addition to hopefully improving ease of use.
Diegetic
Diegetic is a term often used in reference to film or audio, however it also has applications in games. If something in games is described as "diegetic", it means its exists or takes place within a games narrative/ fictional world (Galloway 2006, p. 7; Merriam-Webster Incorporated 2022). A visual example of diegetic game elements could be the muzzle flash of a weapon being fired, and an auditory example of this could be the gunshot sound made by the weapons firing.
Non-Diegetic
In contrast to diegetic, non-diegetic or extra diegetic refers to something that does not exist or take place within a games narrative/ fictional world (Galloway 2006, p. 7; Merriam-Webster Incorporated 2022). Examples of this can include indicators to pick up objects that characters in the game world are unable to see, or user interface elements denoting things like ammunition or health values.
Diegetic Game Elements in Portal 2
Non-Diegetic UI element from Portal 2
Diegetic Game Elements in Portal 2
Public Variables
Public variables are variables for blueprints in the Unreal Engine that are editable in each instance of said blueprint in the world. This means these variables can be changed on the fly to accomplish specific tasks without the need to create entirely new mechanics for tasks that can be accomplished in this manner.
Signposting
Signposting is a broad term used in reference to games to refer to the various forms of signs, symbols, and other visual indicators put in place to aid player navigation through a physical space (Vredenberg 2017; Walton 2014). Signposting via symbols is clearly visible in the gallery beneath the definitions for diegetic and non-diegetic.
User Experience (UX)
User experience or UX for short is a broad term used in a variety of different industries from marketing to video games. In reference to games, user experience refers to the users overall experience during or following gameplay. This is more easily understood and measured by breaking down user experience into its core elements that make up the overall user experience. These core areas include but are not limited to imaginative and sensory immersion, challenge, positivity, negativity, flow, presence, and a decline in spatial awareness (Somrak et al. 2019; Takatalo 2010; IJsselsteijn 2007). This list is not exhaustive and the applicability of some elements like flow, presence, and immersion are debated as they all share some degree of overlap as concepts (Inal and Wake 2022). Despite this, user experience in this context can be described as a users experience with gameplay, often measured by reviewing changes in users' psychological and emotional states during or following gameplay.
UV Map
A UV map is the projection of a 3D objects faces onto a 2D plane, similar to a net for shapes (Calvello 2022). Having the meshes faces projected onto a 2D space allows 2D textures to be projected onto the 3D shape.
Whitebox
White or grey boxing is a task done early on in a games development to plan out the rough layout of levels the objects within them. This is most often done with primitive shapes as the dimensions and positions are key here, not the looks.