Gamasutra again has an article proposing to remove HUDs from games.

Not too different from what I wrote about the “faked dragon”. The article even restates the two fundamental traits I also identified: the immerison and the accessibility.

Immersive gameplay
For many years, game developers have spoken of the goal of achieving a cinema-quality experience in a video game. One of the key ingredients for such an experience is the successful immersion of the player into the game world. Just as a filmmaker doesn’t want a viewer to stop and think, “This is only a movie,” a game developer should strive to avoid moments that cause a gamer to think, “This is just a game.”

The rise of the casual gamer
As video games attempt to reach new audiences beyond the core gamer market, developers are realizing the need to simplify interface design. While hardcore gamers might not be intimidated by numerous status bars and gauges onscreen, a casual gamer is much more likely to feel overwhelmed. Gamers looking for a “pick up and play” experience are not inclined to spend time figuring out what all those bars and gauges are for. The simpler and more intuitive the interface, the more accessible the game can be to non-traditional gamers.

With the difference that it would be so much more interesting to apply those ideas to a mmorpg instead of a single player game. Aren’t those two “hot topics” (and weak points) for this genre? It’s not just about the representation, but about the whole design approach to “render a world”. Or the “simulation of realities” of my definition that tries to be reminiscent of the ideal that started this genre.

Setting that as a goal would already force a revolution.