Impossible for me to say what you or anyone else fokuses on in the intense moment of battles.
I myself, dont even fokus on what the gun look like in a shooter, or how my avatar looks, my fokus is 100% on the Ui, healthbars and the crosshair. Watcing the avatars is what i do in towns/ non combat hubs.
There is something i wonder when things get chaotic are there ways to reduce or barely show effects of explosions, effects using some kind of lens /filter.
The reasoning is they may have technology or goggles that can be optionally toggled to a different lens for the user's customization in particular situations.
Imagine ski goggles with tech so that they are able to let in the right amount of light. In addition those who want to see other views such as thermal imaging, night vision and so on these could be specialist visions that need to be researched.
The reason can also be for the player to enjoy the game better by:
- Reducing chance of Epilepsy through the lowering of certain lighting / effects etc
- To help improve performance a bit more
- To be able to see certain things better
Another thought could be is that melee players may like to see different parts of the opponent if they are able to damage their weapon with a melee strike? or perhaps make contact on a specific point of their limbs etc
I know this is mainly revolved about gun play and such still it's interesting to think of the other ways as well too.
There is that sense of immersion when you can see yourself as if you are inspecting your gear perhaps that is something done in the battleframe station or if you are able to do self diagnosis with medic /engineer pets help etc etc