Thank you for taking the time to write this :) Game UI is probably the most underrated part of game development and yet is the most important part. If a player cannot tell what results their actions are having, how can they become engrossed? You and others like you do an important job.

Its also nice to see a UX Design article that understands how interface and process design are as much a part of IRL as a virtual one. (You have no idea how much this annoys me!)

I'm a bit of a game UI nerd if I'm being honest. I think my favourite case study is probably Guerrilla's Horizon series. The Focus device is an ingenious way of basing the UI around an in-game object that can make an AR interface appear and disappear at will.

With the direction AR is going I do wonder if Game UI skills will be needed more than ever IRL as we seek to add software enhancement to the everyday?