Philips Magnavox Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution Trigger Happy - Manual (Page 340)

Trigger Happy
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enjoy a greater importance in the business of providing
feedback to the player on the basis of which he can
determine his next action. It is more intuitively and
speedily understandable to “read” an indexical shape
such as the remaining health segments than to read the
numerical symbol, especially since the index provides,
as the number does not, an instantly comprehensible
representation of current health or speed as a ratio of
the possible maximum. The reason is exactly the same
as why your car’s dashboard features an indexical
speedometer: an arrow pointing to a certain point on a
circular dial. A bald numerical display, such as that
used by the odometer, is simply not instantaneous
enough in its communication of critical data.
G-Police provides a polyphonic display of signs,
and so, as already noted, it is a shame that its control
system is too complex for fluid execution of the
player’s wishes. The badly designed language that the
player is given erects a barrier between him and the
world of the game.
Even in games that are less stuffed with
quantitative information than G-Police and its
simulation-style comrades, indices are still of great
help in telling the player how to organize symbolic
interactions. The best example is in exploration games