
Player experience is interlinked with player psychology — a vast, yet barely explored topic. Sensemitter’s analyst Bogdan Baranovskiy provided his insights on this theme, combining Gestalt principles with game design examples. The article was initially published on PocketGamer, and we are also sharing it on our blog.
“Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.” This quote by Joe Sparano perfectly encapsulates the power of Gestalt principles in video game design.
Since the early days of 'Pong' and 'Pac-Man,' game designers have used these principles, often unknowingly, to enhance the interface. Today, they consciously apply them to create more immersive and intuitive gaming experiences.
Think of it like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Gestalt principles are the rules that help us put the pieces together. We naturally group similar things, fill in missing details, and track moving objects, ignoring information that doesn’t seem important at the moment.
This is why good game design feels intuitive. Understanding the rules of visual perception gives us the ability to create clear and engaging environments.
What are the hidden rules that ensure you capture players’ attention through the complex structures of game interfaces? Let me illustrate with examples from both mobile and desktop games.
1. Principle of Proximity
Our brains tend to group elements that are close together as a single unit and assign other elements to another group by default.
Imagine a grocery store shelf. Rows of cereal boxes close together are instantly perceived as a "cereal section," while a lone box on a different shelf might be overlooked, kindly tagged as something entirely different by our own brain.

That principle is often used to group different rewards or in-store items. Ignoring it might lead to misunderstanding. Let’s say you use a grid and place product cards with prices according to it. This great decision will definitely ease the navigation, but don’t forget the proximity rule as well. Otherwise, players may not understand the actual price.
The same is true for the grocery shelf. Where do you usually expect to find the product's price on the shelf? Right under it, isn’t it?
However, this principle can also backfire! Placing too many elements close together can create a cluttered mess. Imagine those cereal boxes crammed together – it becomes difficult to find a specific brand. Mobile game designers must find the sweet spot – keeping related elements close for clarity while maintaining enough space for easy identification and interaction.
2. Principle of Similarity
Our brains love to group similar things together, attributing the same function to elements that look alike. It's a super handy tool for organizing information and guiding players through the game interface without overwhelming them.
That is also one of the basic principles for understanding the world around you. Similar staff in nature usually has similar functions: birds fly and sing, while all cats love boxes (even lions, here is the proof). This helps us to understand the differences between objects and quickly guess their functions even when we see something for the first time.
Game example: Let's take any shooter game where weapons have different customization options and levels. Players would be completely lost in this sea of possibilities if it weren’t divided into several general types, such as shotguns, rifles, knives, and shields. With the help of those types and the similarity principle, you can reduce the amount of unskippable explanations during the tutorial (but remember to add that as an info section for curious players).
Nevertheless, you can benefit from breaking that principle as well. Games will become quite boring soon if everyone uses the same types over and over again. By violating that principle and adding a one-of-a-kind weapon, you can bring some surprises and curiosity to the gameplay. High on Life is built on this principle, by the way.
Imagine really adding one of those weird-looking weapons during an event. Wouldn’t it be hilarious? Just don’t overuse it.
3. Principles of Continuity and Common Fate
Our minds prefer to see continuous, smooth paths rather than abrupt changes. That helps us not only group items together but to predict changes.
Think about how you observe a car in the distance driving into the tunnel and exiting on the other side. You still know it's the same car, right? The same principle is used in some tricks when you wait for the coin to appear from a certain direction and miss the moment it comes from another.
Game example: this principle is frequently used in Battle Passes, rewards lines, and ability trees. If some element can be opened only after getting the previous one, they are usually combined on the same line. If not, players will struggle to understand the logic behind it.
Be careful when stepping aside from that principle. Otherwise, players may not understand the idea or will struggle to predict the outcome. However, Souls-like games like to do that a lot with enemies. Have you ever noticed those broken movements? That brings a little spice to the battle, making it harder to predict the second for a block or dodge, bringing challenge and fun at the same time.
4. Principle of Closure
Our minds naturally fill in gaps to create complete shapes or ideas. That is not only a base for minimalistic art but a feature we use in a day to day life.
Have you ever tried to find something in the darkroom during the night? It’s hard to see objects in all details, and sometimes even the contours of objects get blurry. But it does not stop your brain from finding the door or a glass of water.
In games, that principle is used not only in character design and puzzle mechanics but also to indicate that there is a hidden chest in the bushes without fully drawing it.
While closure can create elegant, clean designs, it doesn’t come without risks. If you simplify too much, your designs might become unclear or confusing. Game designers need to find the balance between simplicity and clarity. That is where tests are crucial. Use them to examine your game through the eyes of your players.
5. Principle of Figure-Ground
The Principle of Figure-Ground is like the spotlight in a theater. Our brains tend to separate the main focus (the figure) from the background to ease the perception of it.
Think about trying to find your car in a crowded parking lot. As you scan the area, all cars seem equally important figures, which makes it hard to distinguish your beauty among that mess of vehicles. But when you finally spot it, it comes to light while others fade into the background. That's the figure-ground perception in action!
Game example: That principle is clearly established in UI, specifically in buttons. They usually differ from other elements by color and shape. However, the problem occurs when you try to fit several LiveOps icons, link to the in-game store, play button and a bundle popup on just one screen. Remember, when something is in the player's focus, everything else becomes just a background. So what can we do if we need to shift players’ perception to another element? There are some handy tips & tricks:
- Use another, less cluttered perceptive channel: if players are focused on the visuals, for example aiming somewhere, add a voice. Or vice versa, add a visual clue if players are focused on the sound that can’t be interrupted.
- Break the similarity principle and use perception super ability to notice changes — add animation. Let’s imagine the game is full of beautiful detailed sceneries, every part of which can distract the player. How do we steal their attention? By adding highlights and glance animation to some objects.
Use those tips wisely. Remember — when there is too much light on the stage, nothing is highlighted. But when the stage is dark, all eyes are on that spotlight.
6. Principle of Symmetry and Order
We love balance and patterns, and we tend to see symmetrical elements as part of a unified group. Do you remember the similarity principle? It’s kind of the same. It's like giving a design a tidy makeover that helps viewers quickly grasp the big picture. By using symmetry and order, designers can create layouts that are not only attractive but also intuitive to navigate. This reduces mental effort, allowing people to focus on content rather than decoding the layout.
Try to picture a perfectly set dinner table. The plates are centred, forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right, and glasses at the top right. Besides the fact that there's something satisfying about this orderly arrangement, you can easily understand the function of every set just after decoding the first one. That would be much harder without symmetry.
Game example: That principle can ease the perception of every screen with many elements, from shops to puzzle games. Just create a grid and put elements there, and the cluttered screen becomes pleasing and satisfying.
Nevertheless, keep in mind the figure-ground principle. Symmetrical elements can easily become the ground. If you want to give control over that spotlight to your players, that is fine. But you can also break the symmetry to draw attention to the main dish.
7. Principle of Simplicity
This one is all about keeping things clean and straightforward. It's based on the idea that our brains constantly look for ways to save energy. It encourages designers to strip away unnecessary elements and present information in its most basic, easy-to-understand format.
Humans don’t like to spend energy when it can be saved. That can be seen with every well-worn path next to the corner of the road. That is why, in some countries, people are allowed to walk first before laying the real solid roads.
Game example: In game design, that is the same but trickier. Players don’t read any explanations, hints, and tutorials. If you can tell about something with pictures, do it. If you can not, simplify it in the best possible way. Use bullet lists, use headers, and implement storytelling.
What is the tricky part, then? Simplifying gameplay too much can decrease players’ interest. It is always about that precarious balance between simplicity and complexity. Experienced players will need more complex gameplay to stay engaged, and they will also need detailed information about mechanics.
What should you do then? Test with players and find when their engagement falls down. And additional information for experts while keeping it simple in the main flow.
Conclusion
Game success depends on several factors, and understanding your players is one of the most crucial. Gestalt principles make player experiences more transparent. At Sensemitter, we aim to do the same by measuring player engagement and uncovering the underlying reasons behind their likes and dislikes.
The more we delve into this, the more we realize how much game success relies on understanding players’ feelings and perception. After all, games are not just about what we see on the screen — it's about how they make us feel.