Hello everyone!

I'd like to hear what you have to say about UX/UI in games. Is it important? Should someone be in charge of it in particular, or is it just designed by everyone along the way? I'm looking for some insight because I'm currently a UX/UI designer with an ecommerce background trying to get into the gaming industry.

UX/UI has always been around, but it only recently became important with the rise in the popularity of smartphones and apps. Also companies have started to realise that better UX leads to better usage of their service, which leads to more income. Companies have devoted personnel and teams for this. However, in gaming, I feel like UX/UI is not seen as something that needs to be specialized in, or needs a lot of attention. I find most games' UX/UI to be useable, but there are a few AAA titles out there that make menu or inventory navigation a pain. Is UX/UI not as important to gaming companies as it is businesses? Or will it take a little longer for it to become important?

Also, during my recent job search I've noticed that UX/UI positions are hard to come by. Of course, gaming jobs are hard to come by in general, but I'm wondering if I should pick up illustration as well to supplement my skillset. Developing seems to be the better choice, but I don't particularly enjoy the nuances of code, but love sketching for hours on end. As a side thought, I've noticed that some big companies will hire UX/UI designers for their websites, but not their games. So there might be hope? But really, I want to work with a smaller team so that I can learn, and smaller companies don't pay as much attention to their website as bigger companies.

A cookie for your thoughts! :)