There is a lot of potential for design within mobile games and games in general. Having UI designers as a specific field for games is relatively new. In former years artist would do the visual aesthetics for the UI. Now UI game design is becoming more of a specialized field and companies are scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to find talent for their games.

There are so many gaming companies. A lot fail, but a lot will do quite well. But the opportunity to improve design skills at a gaming company will make you very valuable for the next opportunity.

Okay, so a lot of game UI is ugly.  A lot of gaming companies don’t care about the aesthetic of the UI as long as the UX functions well. Which, I can totally understand. But if a user is pleased visually their experience will improve greatly, making them want to come back. No one wants to stare at ugly graphics.

I didn’t intend to be a UI game designer. It just kind of happened. But the important part was that I was open to the opportunity. Looking at what was required for a game UI designer seemed to fit me well. It just felt and seemed right for more. Sometimes going with that gut instinct really does follow through to be a good choice. For me, it was.

The opportunities I see in game UI design, is the ability to have an affect aesthetically. My goal is a raise the bar higher and higher for game UI. Games can and are beautiful. Sometimes its not always easy to come by, but it’s becoming more respected and understood that it makes the entire game feel as one piece.

Plus the fun part of designing icons, laying out cool animations for menus, and all the other fun and creative things that go into building a game. Game UI should also feel like a game. Everything should be interactive, exciting and leave the player feeling like they are fully emerged in the experience. Game UX and UI should make the player feel like they have control of the flow of navigation. The more a player feels like they own the experience the more they will come back and take more ownership.

Making UX mistakes is always a good way to learn too. Sometimes what I think works doesn’t work for the user. But sometimes all there is go by is by testing! Test, test, test and test some more. I love getting feedback, opinions and trying to solve complicated questions that UX will hold. Then solving that problem and making it look visually pleasing. What awesome challenges that are encountered when being a UI game designer.

So if you’ve ever wondered why game UI? Well, these are some simple reasons.

• Freedom in aesthetics
• Creativity in icon design
• Ability to improve user experience
• Watching a game come to life
• Working with a large team
• Using illustrator as a primary tool
• The freedom and ability to grow as a designer
• The feeling of accomplishment when solving a large problem