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Now the second talk, by Jean-Luc Potte. Fantastic title, great reaction from the audience.

He is using a great comparison: If you are from outside of games, and join as the first UX designer in a studio, you are like a Vault Dweller from Fallout. Everyone on the surface is built with grit from experience and shipping, while you have boundless optimism and think you have easy solutions.

So when your ideas and very well researched content does not get implemented, it doesn't mean your methods are bad, it's that the surface world works differently. So you have to adjust yourself. You will panic in that your work isn't being used, and you're blocked. This is sad, but normal.

So you have a choice: 1. Do way more UX research, and build documentation on Confluence. 2. Or, just change a single line of text in the game. The second option is more worthwhile. This will feel weird initially, but it is better to do and learn.

(This talk needs to be seen by every single junior in the games industry. It is an absolute font of veteran knowledge.)

Duuuuuude what a talk. Incredible work, and so true for anyone who joins the games industry. The Vault Dweller comparison is so good. It instantly makes you understand you're not wrong, it's just that the world runs differently outside your Vault.

Slides can be found here: jlpotte.com/visualizing-... And the talk is recorded. It will go up on youtube on the Game UX Summit channel in the future.

Next, The Long Dark and UX Permaculture, presented by Jess Butler

(Interesting job title for Jess: Presentation Director. Which crosses UI, UX, and VFX. The talk is also about the holistic UX, so the integration of all elements into one. A role like this makes sense within that process)

The cosmic horror behind a HUD

(BEEF JERKY BEEF JERKY)

Some discussion of the different game modes requiring different front ends. If the mode is different, the way to get there was split up, so it's clear where the player is (This makes me think of the COD launcher right away. In my experience it has been very confusing to have everything in one place)

A large part of this talk is the indication of UX being very cross-discipline and holistic. The game design, the VFX, the art, the story, the UX, it all intertwines. So you have to treat it as intertwineable within your company. For example how low health has animations, audio, and VFX. Not just UI

They want to innovate more in the future for The Long Dark, for example to change the usual grid based inventory to be much more hands-on. Again, holistically using the UX to support the feel of the rest of the game. Integrating the UX to the game design, narrative, and so much else.

They are also considering co-op for The Long Dark, and this comes with a lot of potential UX considerations. E.g. if you're in your inventory, what do you look like to others? Do you rummage through a bag? What does that animation look like? Etc. Again, UX being holistically part of the game.

(The biggest takeaway I'm seeing is that you need to really actively consider how you can achieve your goals in-game without using flat 2D UI? What can the game do otherwise to achieve the same goals?)

The speaker is @jss.bsky.social here on Bluesky!

Next up Morgane Ruiz! (I like hearing the word Ludology. It feels so classical.)

Discussing the game design affecting the user's decisions, with Child Labour in Frostpunk as an example. It is mechanically very good for you, but morally a much more difficult decision to make. So the meaning of the decision is very clear. You get what you are being asked as a player.

But the ask has to be fair. Otherwise, especially if you lose, it feels very unfair. So a method called Ethical Dissonance Probing can help map if it is fair or not.

The limitation is that this process is very intensive. It can help give you the data you need to make a right decision on a game's design, but only if you have that time and effort available.

Next we have Pecha Kucha micro talks, with automatic slide changes. I cannot live post these as they're so fast! They will be on the Game UX Summit youtube channel in the future.

One quick slide, by Coco Rath: Adjusting the mouse icon to be character-specific is a UX/UI choice, but a big narrative and immersion boon that makes you feel much more like you are the character itself. (Big agree. I love a good gauntlet mouse icon in any medieval fantasy game)