Hick's Law

Hicks’ Law in Video Game Design

Author: William Edmund Hick

Brief Introduction and Description of the Theory:

Hicks’ Law establishes a relationship between the number of choices available and the time it takes for a person to make a decision. Specifically, it suggests that increasing the number of choices will linearly increase the decision-making time. This concept has significant implications in video game design, particularly in how it can streamline player interactions and enhance overall gaming experiences.

Conclusions of the Theory:

Implementing Hicks’ Law in video game design can lead to a more streamlined and user-friendly experience. Too many choices can overwhelm players, leading to decision paralysis and a negative gaming experience. Conversely, reducing the number of options can help speed up decision-making, leading to a more fluid and enjoyable game.

Practical Application (for RPG):

  1. Menus and User Interfaces: In games like Skyrim or The Witcher 3, complex menus can be daunting. Applying Hicks’ Law, designers have streamlined these interfaces by categorizing options and reducing the number of choices displayed, thus allowing players to make quicker decisions and navigate menus more easily.

  2. Inventory Selection: In games such as Diablo and Borderlands, inventory management can become overwhelming due to the sheer volume of items. By structuring inventories to limit the visible items and categorizing them, developers can help players manage their resources more efficiently without feeling swamped by choices.

  3. Skill Trees and Progression: RPGs like Final Fantasy or Path of Exile feature extensive skill trees. Applying Hicks’ Law by limiting the available choices at each level and organizing the skills intuitively helps prevent players from feeling lost and makes their progression choices feel more meaningful and less stressful.

  4. Narrative Choices: In narrative-driven games such as Mass Effect and Life is Strange, limiting dialogue options to a few key choices can help maintain the story’s flow and reduce decision fatigue. This approach ensures that the game’s pacing remains brisk while still offering meaningful decisions.

  5. Control Schemes and Input: Games like Dark Souls and Celeste benefit from applying Hicks’ Law by simplifying control schemes. Reducing the number of actions a player needs to remember or execute at any given time allows for quicker reactions and a focus on strategic gameplay and exploration rather than on recalling complex commands.

By incorporating Hicks’ Law into video game design, especially in RPGs, developers can enhance the gaming experience by reducing reaction times and minimizing the frustration associated with excessive choices. This leads to a more enjoyable and engaging experience, allowing players to enjoy the depth and breadth of the game without being overwhelmed by decision overload.