The Hidden Meaning in Crosshairs

In most games, the crosshair is an important connection for the player to the virtual world. Not only does it determine the direction they will shoot, but it's also a grounding point that can influence where the player's eye is positioned and represent where their character is looking. Because of this, crosshairs in a game need to be clean and clear, and they can easily become obstructions.

Crosshair purpose

Crosshairs can be as simple as a dot in the center of your screen, and commonly give you an indication as to how your current weapon or item behaves. A common example is how many shotguns have a larger circle around the center point to display pellet spread

However, any crosshair more complex than a dot, cross, or circle needs to have a purpose for being in the game. If you have anything more than what's needed you can very quickly find yourself creating noise and causing interference for the player.

Competitive e-sports games such as CS:GO exemplify the importance of non-obtrusive crosshairs with custom crosshair editors being available to modify your aiming reticle to your own play-style. This proves how important crosshairs can be to a player's performance within a game, and that it's very easy for them to cause interference if not well designed.

This post originally came from a design article for use by Wolverine Soft Studio members. To read further please check out the original documents Confluence page …