Benjamin is a passionate Squad expert. He's passionate about UX and front-end development, of course... but that's not all! He's also our gaming expert. He tells us a little more about his career and his passions in a Squad interview.
Can you quickly introduce yourself?
I joined Squad two years ago now. I'm a UX/UI Designer, but in reality, I often find myself playing the role of Front-End Developer. I have a strong preference for design, but the developer side allows me to create while keeping my feet on the ground, since I know what will and won't be feasible.
Why is it necessary to motivate IT experts to speak up?
As far as I'm concerned, the Technical Challenge organized by Squad gave me the motivation to do certain things that I had in mind but kept putting off. When I was younger, I wrote a few pseudo-critical articles about video games, but I didn't stick with it. Since then, I've continued to enrich my knowledge in this area, but on my own. Today, I can share what I've learned and analyzed with other Squad experts, as well as on social media. This forces me to gather content and make the most of my research. Before sharing an article, I cross-reference information from my personal experience, conferences I've attended, and other articles on the subject. It's a real exercise in channeling information and synthesis.
When it comes to writing, I think the first article is the most difficult. It's not easy to get started, to know what you're going to talk about, how to structure it, and how to begin. And yet, by the second article, it becomes easier and more natural.
Another important thing is that I have learned not to be afraid to present a topic that I don't fully understand, or that "only interests me." Most of the time, that's not true at all, and I've had good feedback.
With the Challenge Squad, you won a trip to WebSummit in Lisbon next November. Have you started looking into this event?
I was a little worried that it would be a very technical event, too focused on development, whereas I'm more interested in design. I did some research and it's actually a really big conference (1,200 presentations, 70,000 participants). It will allow me to build my own experience with the topics that are important to me. I've already been to a few events like this, but not on this scale. This one is pretty huge.
Before that, I will be in Lille in October for the Game UX Summit, a conference with designers from major video game companies. Like WebSummit, it will give me experiences to share with other Squad consultants.
Your articles on TheExpert often include three components: Gaming, UX, and Dev. Why is that?
In my opinion, video games are a form of art, requiring a wide range of professions and talents to create (game designer, graphic designer, UX designer, developer, scriptwriter, etc.). A game must be intelligently designed, easy to use, and aesthetically pleasing. And like any software, the work of UX designers must be invisible to the player in order to enhance the experience. You could say that if you're not frustrated by a game, it's probably because the UX has been well designed. For me, this is a great way to understand UX and its role: it should make the experience enjoyable and fluid, while remaining subtle.
I'm starting to think about other topics in this area, beginning with describing categories of games and their origins, and also continuing to talk about the contributions of UX in video games.
Find Benjamin's articles on TheExpert:
Accessibility in video games:
https://theexpert.squad.fr/theexpert/digital/laccessibilite-dans-les-jeux-video/
Video games: what designers don't tell you:
https://theexpert.squad.fr/theexpert/digital/jeux-videos-ce-que-les-designers-ne-vous-disent-pas/
#Gaming: Roguelikes:
https://theexpert.squad.fr/theexpert/news/gaming-les-roguelikes/
Video games, types of players:
https://theexpert.squad.fr/theexpert/lifestyle/jeux-video-les-types-de-joueurs/
