Think about the last time you played a game you loved. You weren't trying to "complete a task" or "finish efficiently." You were playing for the pure pleasure of it. That's the fundamental difference you'll learn as a game UX designer: Designing not for productivity, but for joy.
Imagine telling a traditional UX designer that you're going to deliberately slow users down, add obstacles they don't need, and make things harder on purpose. They'd think you're breaking every rule in the book. But in game UX? That approach powers the world's favorite pastime: video games, the most significant player in the entertainment industry, which brings in more than $280 billion a year, more than music and film combined.
In this video, Celia Hodent, PhD, Game UX Strategist and Author of the best-selling book The Gamer's Brain, explains why games must be more than just usable, and introduces the framework that will guide your design decisions throughout your career.
Game UX Design vs. Traditional UX Design: Why You'll Design Differently
Let's establish what makes your work as a game UX designer different from traditional UX design.
© Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0
Traditional UX design helps users accomplish tasks like pay a bill, book a flight, or find information as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Success means you remove friction, speed things up, and minimize effort. Users want to get in, accomplish their goal, and get out.
As a game UX designer, you'll design for a different purpose entirely. As Celia explains in the video, "We don't play video games to accomplish a task as we would with software and many apps; we play games for the pleasure we get when we play them."
This fundamental difference changes how you approach UX design:
Traditional UX removes obstacles. You'll create obstacles that are worth the effort to overcome.
Traditional UX optimizes for efficiency. You'll optimize for satisfaction.
Traditional UX minimizes mental effort. You'll balance challenge with capability.
Think about Mario Kart. The chaos of banana peels and red shells creates friction, but it's intentional. That friction generates the thrill and the tension of barely staying in first place.
Of course, games still need to be usable. Players need clear controls and intuitive interfaces to be able to enjoy the experience. But usability isn't enough. You'll also need to design for engagement. Celia's engageability framework helps you break down engagement into three concrete elements you can design for: Motivation (why players engage), Emotion (what they feel), and Flow (staying focused).
This way, when a playtester says "this isn't fun," you'll know what questions to ask:
Is the motivation clear?
Is this the right emotion for the moment?
Does the difficulty match their skill?
The Take Away
Traditional UX and game UX both care about the user, but they often work toward different goals. In traditional UX, you usually help people accomplish a task with less unnecessary effort. In game UX, usability is still essential, as without clear controls and intuitive interfaces, players can't access your game. But, you also need to take engagement into account. With Celia's engageability framework you'll look at motivation, emotion, and flow, so you can break engagement down into specific elements that you can design for.
A player may only be able to tell you the game doesn't feel right. As a game UX designer, your job is to understand what's behind that reaction and help the team decide what to change.
References and Where to Learn More
Want more? If you haven't already, sign up for Game UX Design: The Ultimate Guide to learn directly from Celia Hodent, PhD, former Fortnite UX Director, and author of the best-seller The Gamer's Brain.
Read The Gamer's Brain by Celia Hodent.
Watch the How to Design for the Human Mind: Cognitive Science for UX Master Class by Celia Hodent.
Watch the How to Become a Games User Researcher Master Class by Steve Bromley, Games Researcher and Author.
Watch the AI for Game UX: Speed Up Research, Ideas, and Prototypes Master Class by Om Tandon, UX Design Leader at Nordeus (Zynga/Take-Two).
Watch the Level Up Your Career: How to Land a Job in the Game Industry Master Class with Om Tandon, UX Design Leader at Nordeus (Zynga/Take-Two).
Watch the UI Design for Games: Starter Edition Master Class with Stéfano Girardelli, Senior Visual Designer at Wildlife Studios.
To learn more about play, visit the "Library of Play" website.
Hero image: © Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0
