How User Experience Reignited
My Passion for Gaming
How learning UX helped me reconnect with my dream of building better gaming experiences — and why that matters.
Have you ever wondered how small tweaks in your work can steer you toward your passions? For me, learning UX has done exactly that. My journey with IxDF hasn’t just given me tools and structure — it’s reignited my dream of working in the gaming industry.
Taking the Plunge into Change
Career changes are rarely easy. After ten years in advertising, I realized my work wasn’t fulfilling me anymore. The decision to pivot was intimidating, — especially when recruiters seem to want you to have ten years of experience in a field you’ve only just discovered. That’s where IxDF came in, offering guidance and a community that made the road less lonely.
Like many, I still don’t know “what do I want to be when I grow up.” At one point, I even imagined quitting everything to become a carpenter, trading screens for sawdust and living off the land. Okay, too far. But what I really wanted wasn’t escape — it was fulfilment.
Of course, before I even reached advertising burnout, my path had already zigzagged through a few unexpected places. And looking back, each twist taught me something that now makes sense in the bigger picture.
My Journey So Far
If there’s one thing my career has taught me, it’s that paths are rarely straight. I started out studying Game Design at university, dreaming of building worlds and mechanics that players could lose themselves in. But life had other plans.
I became a 3D animator for the mining industry — not exactly dragons and loot goblins, but it taught me precision and how to bring complex processes to life. From there, I moved into Motion Graphics for live events, where the challenge was capturing attention in seconds. I dabbled in architectural visualization, creating spaces that didn’t exist yet, and even 3D packshot creation, making products look irresistible before they hit the shelves.
It felt like I was circling back toward game design, but I couldn’t quite bridge the gap. I didn’t know enough about UX to even consider it as the missing piece. Looking back, every step — whether mining animations or live event graphics — was sharpening my ability to solve problems visually. I just didn’t have the framework to connect those skills to the player experience. That’s where UX finally came in, and suddenly the pieces started to fit.
Advertising, Bunnies, and the Skip Button
Advertising taught me how to solve problems quickly, but the solutions never felt meaningful. I’d design motion graphics, only to skip my own ads on YouTube faster than Geralt finding someone to play Gwent with. That disconnect gnawed at me.
Meanwhile, my bunny was busy tearing apart cardboard boxes like a tiny wrecking ball. Watching her absolutely disrespect her surroundings reminded me of users interacting with products — unpredictable, messy, but full of personality. And that’s when it clicked: I’ve always wanted to make experiences better, whether for people or for bunnies.
That realization — that I wanted to make experiences better — carried over into my love for games. Because if cardboard boxes can be redesigned for bunnies, surely interfaces can be redesigned for players.
UX as the Bridge to Gaming
Games have always been my escape and my fascination. Whether its slaying monsters solo or becoming the world’s biggest loot goblin in multiplayer (Arc Raiders fans, you know what I mean), I constantly catch myself thinking about how interfaces, interactions, or exchanges could be improved. UX gave me the language and methods to channel that instinct: journey mapping, prototyping, user testing, collaboration. Suddenly, the butterflies in my stomach weren’t frustration — they were excitement.
The Road Ahead
My UX journey is far from over, but it has already given me something invaluable: direction. I no longer feel like I’m pushing broccoli around the plate (yes, I stole that phrase from a colleague). Instead, I’m building toward a career where my skills, passions, and values align.
UX reignited my passion for gaming by showing me that improving experiences isn’t just possible — it’s a career. And if you’re searching for a way to connect your passions with your work, UX might just be the bridge you’re looking for.
Useful links:
IxDF Free learning resource
IxDF courses
Benefits of IxDF membership
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Johannesburg
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South Africa
Melissa Cramer © 2026