Hello adventurer! In today’s quest, we’re going to investigate some common myths about Game UX, so you can learn the truth!
PS, I would love to learn about the myths you’ve heard or believed before, or perhaps something you want me to confirm or deny.
Click on the link and fill out the form, and I’ll make a post with your comments.
5 MYTHS ABOUT UX IN GAMES
Here are some common myths I’ve heard about UX in games. I believe they often stem from misunderstandings and assumptions, so I want to clear some of them up.
❌ “UX just wants to make games too easy”
Myth: UX design is about simplifying everything and removing difficulty from games.
Reality: UX aims to remove unintentional obstacles (the ones that cause confusion or frustration) so players can focus on the intended challenges (like puzzles, combat, or strategy.)
We don’t want the challenge to be the controls, finding things in the menus, or getting lost on what to do next in the game.
Good UX shapes the experience for the target audience: if your players want hardcore, punishing gameplay, UX helps ensure that the challenge feels deliberate and rewarding, not unfair or unclear.
❌ “UX Slows down game development”
Myth: Adding UX design to the process creates extra steps and delays production.
Reality: A UX designer actually speeds up development by providing quick mockups, testing multiple ideas efficiently, and helping teams make informed decisions early on. They can also foresee user and design problems before they happen — issues that often take far more time and resources to fix later in development.
❌ “UX can be added at the end, right before releasing the game”
Myth: UX is a final polish step that can be applied after the game is nearly done.
Reality: UX isn’t a quick patch or surface fix. Deep-rooted design problems can’t be solved by layering UX changes on top. The best results come when UX is integrated from the very start of development, working alongside design, art, and programming. Early collaboration ensures that the player experience is built intentionally, not retrofitted at the end.
❌ “UX = UI (or UX is just the interface, menus and buttons)“
Myth: UX is the same as UI and only covers visible interface elements.
Reality: UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) are closely related but not identical. While UI focuses on visuals and interaction points, UX covers the entire player journey from how they perceive the game, learn mechanics, receive feedback, and experience emotion and flow. UI is a part of UX, but UX extends far beyond what’s on the screen.
❌ “If a game sells well, it must have great UX“
Myth: Commercial success automatically means the game’s UX design is strong.
Reality: High sales often result from marketing, hype, or brand loyalty rather than great UX. Many popular games succeed despite having confusing interfaces, poor onboarding, or frustrating systems. Likewise, some well-designed games with excellent UX can struggle to find an audience. Sales numbers measure popularity, not usability. Success doesn’t always equal great design.
TLDR: Good UX helps developers communicate their vision clearly, ensuring that players feel challenged, immersed, and respected. When integrated throughout development, UX becomes an invisible bridge between design intent and player perception.
Thank you for reading!
What did you think about this lesson? Please give me your feedback and questions through this link:
Check out the Website learngameuxdesign.com for more Game UX updates.