Game Plan
Spring 2024 Thesis
January 2024 - May 2024
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the gaming industry continues to flourish, offering a wide range of career opportunities for individuals with diverse skills and interests.
PROBLEM DEFINITION
This thesis proposes the design and development of “Game Plan,” a dedicated mobile application aimed at connecting gaming enthusiasts, designers, and professionals to cultivate networking, collaboration, and career advancement within the gaming design realm.
WHY?
Despite the evident synergy between career opportunities and gaming, there is a noticeable gap in dedicated platforms to aid users in discovering design-related career opportunities in the gaming sector. Without a platform that fosters networking and collaboration, aspiring professionals might miss out on opportunities that are not as widely advertised as in more mainstream fields. This makes it harder for professionals to even know where to look for relevant job openings.
TOOLS
Figma
Illustrator
Miro
How might an application using UI/UX create a professional career-based network and community for gaming design professionals?
TIMELINE
Phase 01: Research and Planning
February - Early March
The first phase of the project includes researching similar applications while finding out what works and what doesn’t. After researching, concept planning is the next step in phase 1, taking into consideration of the visual identity of the application and creating rough drafts to ensure that everything flows the way it’s supposed to.
Phase 02: Visualize and Prototyping
Mid-March - Early April
This phase aims to bridge the gap between aspiring professionals and thriving career opportunities within the gaming sector by gathering all findings in developing a final solution.
Phase 03: Testing and Finalizing
Late April - Early May
The final phase allows for fine-tuning and fixing mistakes while adding anything that’s missing.
NETWORKING
According to the Los Angeles Times, while referring to the best way to apply for a job in gaming, it’s mentioned that “across the industry, experts noted the importance of networking and maintaining relationships with people in the field” (Parvini, 2024). This demonstrates how networking is a key factor for individuals that are interested in career advancement in the gaming industry. Additionally, in an interview with Ben Kvalo, founder and CEO of Midwest Games, he mentions that “a lot of people are willing to help and share their stories and journeys, and provide resources and support” (Parvini, 2024). Providing individuals with a platform in order to connect and create a community in the gaming industry makes it more accessible for users to seek career opportunities in the gaming sector.
CAREERS IN GAMING
Furthermore, “gaming is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, outperforming music and movies combined. As a rapidly growing segment of media, the gaming industry is expected to make more than $300 billion by 2027” (Apex Systems, n.d.). As a continuously growing entertainment industry, the demand for a wide range of skills from programming to art starts to become apparent. There is an abundance of career roles in the gaming field. Apex Systems mentions that the list of roles includes but is not limited to design, engineering, art, audio, and production. (Apex Systems, n.d).
UX/UI
Through user-centered design methodologies, “Game Plan” aims to explore the potential features, functionalities, and user experiences critical for the success of such an app. By investigating the intersection of social networking, career development, and gaming design, this research endeavors to contribute to the enhancement of professional pathways and community engagement in the dynamic world of design in gaming.
VISUAL IDENTITY
The development of the “Game Plan” mobile application aims to take a stride towards bridging the gap between aspiring professionals and thriving career opportunities within the gaming industry; creating a career-based platform that helps users foster networking and collaboration, as well as community building for gaming design professionals.
USER FLOWCHART
After my initial research, I found that there weren’t really any apps that focused on assisting users in finding career paths in the gaming industry, while also fostering community building and networking. Laying out a user flowchart allowed me implement the various features I wanted to include within the app.
GAME PLAN DESIGN
Incorporating motion design into a career-focused app requires careful consideration of accessibility and user engagement. Balancing visually stimulating elements with functionality is crucial to ensure a positive user experience. UI/UX design, with its capacity to optimize user experiences, serves as the bridge between individuals and technology. Consequently, by understanding user needs and ensuring accessibility and usability for users of all backgrounds and abilities, creating solutions that genuinely resolve user challenges makes UI/UX design valuable in society. “When the goal is to get impactful solutions out into the world. You have to make the solutions that are desirable, workable, and viable” (Gladkiy, 2018).
RETROSPECTIVE
Being able to look back at the project, I really enjoyed designing an app and building a solution towards the problem of breaking through a niche industry. From extensive research throughout Design Thesis Research class in the fall, to refining my thesis question this spring; I was able to narrow down and pinpoint the challenges that creatives and others alike who are passionate about gaming might face when seeking a career path in the gaming industry.
With the insight I had found, I began conceptualizing a solution that helps address these challenges. The process of design is where imagination meets strategy. Being able to sketch out wireframes and map out user flows helped streamline the process of ensuring an intuitive user experience through the flow of the app.
I believe that there is always room for improvement. Given more time to work on this project, I would have loved to incorporate user surveys and interviews into my research methodology. This approach would’ve definitely allowed me to turn more of my focus on refining smaller details that I might’ve initially missed.