Bright-colored pixels shone across the screen and the familiar sound of my favorite video creator rang out. Mental images of cubes and characters filled my head every day as I watched others play my favorite games. It made my hands tingle with the need to draw, replicate, and create. From the screen to paper, the joy of seeing what I imagined come to life filled my body. Video games were not just a source of entertainment for me, they were a source of inspiration and exposure to different media. A way to let my creativity flow and my brain run wild with images of adventures. Most importantly, it gave me an outlook on life that I never imagined having years into the future. From a young age, I was exposed to popular video games through videos and shows. Whenever my sisters played classics such as The Sims, I watched with amazement and whimsy. Upon coming home from school I would log onto my laptop and play multiplayer games with friends. In class, my hands would busy themselves mashing away at the keys of the computer trying to win a new high score in Tetris. Constantly, my life was surrounded by video games of different genres and styles. The attention to detail in character design, the music that played in the background as you explored the digital world, and even the promotional art used to showcase the game; it was all so eye-catching, yet comforting at the same time. When things started to go awry in life, I could always find peace by logging onto my games and letting the ambiance transport me to a safe place. Always, whenever I had a worry in mind, video games would take them away. However, even with the relaxation my video games gave me, one worry consistently lingered. What did I want to do for my future job? My thoughts were plagued by the anxiety that I would have a job I did not enjoy or that I would choose the wrong major for myself. I loved creating as much as video games, but could I truly follow that path? Where did my passions lay? Despite all my troubles, my hands reached out for my phone and once again, searched for something related to a game. Instead of finding comfort, however, an answer was formed in place of it. One article about the design of one of my favorite games quoted players complimenting its intricate user interface. Reading about the joy the game shared with people made something click in my head. At that moment, I realized that my goal was to make people happy through my creations, specifically in video games. From there, becoming a UX/UI game designer was my dream for the future. More than just a hobby, video games have become my passion. Putting together two things I love and striving to become a UX/UI game designer is life-changing. Not solely in the sense that games have changed my past and present, video games paved a pathway for my future. My hope lies in sharing my designs through video games and that same feeling of comfort and inspiration with people like me. One positive impact can truly go a long way.

Chinese Zodiacs Pig, Rat, Rooster, Horse Star Sign Animals Lion, Scorpion, Bull, Goat Birth Month Symbols Flower, Stone, Animal, Sign Items in Pairs Scissors, Shoes, Gloves, Glasses The main goal of connections is to find which four words go into the same category with a certain theme. Some words may seem like they go under the same category, but may have a double meaning. For my Connections board, I wanted to use a recurring theme amongst the groups with words that seem extremely simple, but can go under a broad range of categories. Thus, the idea of birth-related items and symbols came to fruition. The first row consists of Chinese zodiac signs that could easily be mixed up with another group of sign-related animals. Within my culture, the Chinese zodiacs represent a certain personality type. They have the same meaning as star signs do, but the animals are based on the year instead of a specific month. Through this, I wanted to pay homage to my culture through this row. Aside from this reason, the animal zodiacs will confuse players with how many animals will be listed on the grid later on. Following the zodiac signs, in a similar manner, the star sign animals are in the second row. Staying under the birth month symbols, these animals represent specific star signs. Listed in correlating order: Leo, Scorpio, Taurus, and Capricorn. When mixed with the Chinese zodiacs, it makes it difficult to find the common theme of the words. Some players may mistake certain words for farm animals. In this way, it adds difficulty to the grid but still follows the common theme. The third row consists of common birth month symbols. Players are given a hint with the first two rows of the grid as they refer to birth animals. When this hint is found, the players can then identify the common symbols of birth months. These include, stone (specifically gemstones), flowers, animals, and signs. Once this row has been completed, there will only be one more row to complete. However, what follows is meant to throw the puzzle-solvers off of the overall theme. The fourth, and final, row was created to confuse players and be the “odd one out” of the group. If this row has not been solved yet, the puzzle-solvers will have the idea that the theme revolves around birth symbols. Despite this being the case, the fourth row only consists of words that signify a pair of something. It can also play off of the third row which includes the word stone. Within the fourth row, words such as scissors and shoes appear which, when read out loud, could refer to the game “rock, paper, scissors.” Such a row must exist if the puzzle seems too easy. All four categories were created with the idea of double entendre in mind. All of the words were broad enough to be put into a certain section, but not specific enough to know where it belongs. However, if players use common knowledge, find the patterns, and a bit of research if they are unfamiliar with certain cultural topics, they will be able to figure out the Connections I have created. Creativity is the key and I hope puzzle-solvers will not get tripped up by the red herring that is the fourth row.