ooooh boy this shit is always so lovely. It can make any game, whatever it may be, look so professional and cold and un-fun, love it to bits.
these are probably not even the best examples, i want more, please show me more
undoubtedly I am a more-than-typically spreadsheet-brained individual, but I find that rather than looking cold and un-fun this intersection of game and OS UI bespeaks a thrilling mode of interaction. The applications for which this UI was intended are tools to complete tasks and so the design language they speak seeks to lay their functions bare at the user's fingertips. To use this language in play suggests a game toothsome enough to remain joyous even when (ideally because) its interactions are utilitarian in the extreme.
Although this particular cross-pollination is now visible only in the fossil record, I've returned recently to Death Stranding, a game which revels in the tangible interfaciness of every moment. Last week I played Armored Core, a love letter to menus and stats and overwhelming persnickety detail. These games extend play beyond simply moments of action or puzzles to solve into the texture of interactions with a system. Our lives force us to touch so many systems that treat us as raw and inhuman fuel. It's nice to remember that computers can contain joy as well.
(screenshot grabbed from pcmag article i found from google image results)
when mice and GUIs in general were the hot new thing, game developers were all about seeing how they could use them creatively. it's definitely a vibe!
I recommend this book, The Secret History of Mac Gaming, fun read with history and lots of pretty pictures
