Cubitat
Design & Experience Lead -
UMA Games
Building a live service multiplayer sandbox where kids learn future proof skills, centered on creativity and math!
Since 2023, I’ve guided design and creative strategy on this ambitious project, crafting worlds that inspire curiosity, imagination, and playful exploration.
Gameplay & Systems
I helped shape the core gameplay and systemic foundations of Cubitat, a sandbox world built from modular parts, playful interactions, and emergent behaviors.
My focus was on designing systems that feel intuitive and expressive, while encouraging curiosity, experimentation, and creative problem-solving.
Sandbox Systems & Emergent Play
I worked extensively on the design of the game’s sandbox systems, defining how shapes, materials, and rules combine to form a living, expressive world.
The goal was to create systems that interact in surprising ways, allowing players to discover playful synergies through experimentation.
Tools, Machines & Learning Systems
Controls, Game Feel & building Mechanics
A major part of my role was designing the building experience and moment-to-moment interactions: controls, camera behavior, interaction flows, and overall game feel.
I explored how players place, rotate, and manipulate elements in the world, iterating on input models and camera responses to support both precision and experimentation. These decisions were central to making building and exploration feel fluid, readable, and satisfying, turning complex systems into something playful and approachable.
I designed a wide range of in-game tools and machines that transform materials and unlock new possibilities. These systems were also used to introduce mathematical concepts in playful, hands-on ways, blending learning with experimentation and creative play.
World Structure & Progression
I helped shape the structure of the world and progression systems with a strong focus on open-ended, player-led play. Rather than relying on rigid paths or explicit instruction, progression emerges through exploration, experimentation, and discovery.
Worlds were designed to feel inviting and alive, encouraging players to solve problems naturally through play and uncover how systems connect over time.
UX, UI & Player Experience
I led the design of the full player experience across the game, shaping how players understand, navigate, and interact with a complex multiplayer sandbox.
My work focused on clarity, cohesion, and playfulness, ensuring systems feel intuitive, learnable, and grounded in the world, even as depth and complexity grow.
Core Interactions, HUD & Moment-to-Moment Play
I designed the core interaction layer of the game: HUD, abilities, tool usage, and how players interact with the world moment-to-moment.
The challenge was balancing readability and depth, ensuring players always understand what they can do, what’s happening around them, and how their actions affect the world.