Rhiannon Mitchell
UI/UX DESIGNER
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GRASPING ONTO THE REIGNS OF FORM AND FUNCTION TO STEER THEM TOGETHER
ULTRAKILL, released into Early Access on September 3, 2020, published by New Blood Interactive
Gloomwood, released into Early Access on September 5, 2022, published by New Blood Interactive
Maximum Action, released into Early Access on September 9, 2018, published by Balloon Moose Games (images taken while under publishing agreement with New Blood Interactive)
The user interface is the direct point of connection between a game and its player, leading them into and engaging them in countless virtual adventures which is why a poor UI is not just a stain on an otherwise fine game, it can cause the whole experience to feel like nails on a chalkboard or like trying to move through molasses.
With the average character's inventory growing alongside their polygon count, it is more important than ever to spend the proper amount of time building and refining a user interface that not only serves the game well, but allows the player to near seamlessly drop into the game world, menus dissolving away and becoming a part of the experience itself.
Essentially, the goal of a UI designer's job is for a player to barely pay attention to your work at all, but if they go so far as to compliment it, you've managed to create something spectacular.
Picrew by wasyago on Tumblr
CALL ME RHIA
From a young age, Rhia was very interested in the inner workings of games. Though her first exposure to video games was most likely spending time mashing buttons on the NES before she was old enough to know what the hell she was doing, she attributes her first coherent experience with a game to Doom; as irresponsible as it may have been for a 4-year-old to play such a demonic and violent game (with god mode on, mind you), it made her thirst for more.
Onwards she marched, through Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, Dark Forces, and Unreal. While she did enjoy the occasional detour through an RPG or platformer, the first-person shooter was her home. She was comfortable, but restless. She desired to make her mark on the genre, even though the act of doing so felt so far out of reach. Then came Half-Life, and during a curious night she decided to take a look at what was in this "Worldcraft" folder that sat on the disc. An inoccuous install later, and she loaded into Valve's own toolset for building levels. Rhia was never the same.
With time, and as games and their communities came and went, she eventually found an opportunity to take a spot within the New Blood Interactive family, where she's been working ever since.
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