Rui Silva
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ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Rui Silva
@ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
170 followers 500 following 170 posts
Game Designer. London-based.

Feel free to check out my portfolio: https://ruilsilva.wixsite.com/ruisilvagamedesign
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ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Managed to get to the "Secret Maps" exhibition at the British Library yesterday. It's great for understanding how different societies convey similar information and for what purposes.

#history #britishlibrary #gamedev
A map of Europe from the 16th century. An Inca Khipu from the 16th century. The Secret Book of Secrets from the 14th century, containing information on medicine, ethics and astrology.
November 12, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reposted by Rui Silva
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I’ve been prototyping the introductory level of the game, trying to make it simple to understand but still giving the player enough autonomy to engage with the core aspect of arranging the level yourself.

#gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday
November 8, 2025 at 9:51 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I’ve been prototyping the introductory level of the game, trying to make it simple to understand but still giving the player enough autonomy to engage with the core aspect of arranging the level yourself.

#gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday
November 8, 2025 at 9:51 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
In the midst of designing the start screen, drawing from the Unix system seen in Jurassic Park. There's no inspiration too niche!

#indiedev #gamedev
My current start screen. The unix system seen in Jurassic Park (1993).
November 5, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Rui Silva
apiratehat.bsky.social
This weekend was spent making my November game for my one game per month challenge. I really like how it turned out this time.

This is "I Love Words" a short, relaxing typing game.
apiratehat.itch.io/i-love-words

#gamedev #godotengine
November 2, 2025 at 12:52 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
This week I’ve been experimenting a bit with the lighting of earlier levels and comparing them to how the most recently developed levels look. While I can still see room for improvement, I’m happy with the current iteration so far.

#gamedev #indiedev
One of the first levels developed. The enemies don't 'pop' as much as recent levels and the colours don't grab the player as much. The level now, where enemies are more visible. A recently developed level, showing vibrant colours and easy-to-see enemies.
November 2, 2025 at 3:27 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I’ve been reading about the three levels of mental processing, being visceral processing, emotional, and reflective. I’ve tried to break down each one below, complete with an example from Battlefield 6.

#gamedev
A slide describing visceral processing. How behavioural processing can affect the user and build expectations. Reflective processing and it's effect on the user's memory. An example of the three levels of processing seen in Battlefield 6.
October 30, 2025 at 12:06 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
My game and its inspirations.

#gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday
A screenshot of my game. SUPERHOT: An inspiration due to the cohesive colour scheme, which makes it easy to identify what object does what, such an enemy or a weapon. LEGO: The idea of LEGO was appealing as you can place different objects together to achieve your goal, which inspired me with the idea to enable the player to move objects, creating their own obstacles and paths. Star Wars: The design of the lasers inspired how I designed the gunshot lasers in my game.
October 25, 2025 at 8:34 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I’ve been comparing earlier iterations of the game recently. It’s shocking how impactful audio is when engaging with the game. The colours of movable objects have swapped from white to black to stop confusion between interactables and the white environment.

#indiedev #gamedev #screenshotsaturday
October 11, 2025 at 4:33 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been trying to draft a post on the three levels of emotional processing and how it relates to game design. It's going to be a task to try and fit it into 4 slides!

#gamedev #indeidev
A picture of a notebook, showing notes on the three levels of emotional processing.
October 6, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Rui Silva
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Whenever I go somewhere new, I always like to take photos from perspectives I find interesting or by using different types of film that project a unique feel. It helps inspire me with new ideas and reminds me to consider different angles when designing.

#gamedev #indiedev
A dark archway with a bright church cloister shining through. Sets of houses along a river, with windows overhanging the water. A cloister taken from the top of a church spire. A cathedral that, through using a unique type of film, appears to be shrouded in a green sky.
October 3, 2025 at 6:57 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Whenever I go somewhere new, I always like to take photos from perspectives I find interesting or by using different types of film that project a unique feel. It helps inspire me with new ideas and reminds me to consider different angles when designing.

#gamedev #indiedev
A dark archway with a bright church cloister shining through. Sets of houses along a river, with windows overhanging the water. A cloister taken from the top of a church spire. A cathedral that, through using a unique type of film, appears to be shrouded in a green sky.
October 3, 2025 at 6:57 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been trying to visualise the concept of "mapping" in design. I'd like to look at discussing more examples and their effects, but for now I've written a small piece on the importance of mapping. Enjoy!

#gamedev #indiedev
The definitions of mapping and natural mapping. An example of mapping in the world. Examples of mappings in video games, relating to the controls of games.
September 30, 2025 at 9:55 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
The process of a level. From the original design, to augmenting the layout in-engine, to composing the lighting and testing the location of enemies. There's noticeable iteration involving lines of sight and player comprehension of what paths they can create.

#screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev
The original layout of the level, showing 3 “areas” the player will have to face enemies in, with the player manipulating access and restrictions to these rooms through moving objects. The layout in-engine, showing how the general shape has changed. A comparison between the original layout and the current layout, showing size differences and how object placement has changed. A screenshot of the level during gameplay, showing movable objects (black) and obstacles (white).
September 27, 2025 at 5:35 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Experimenting with wider levels. A lot of the ones I've created so far are long and encourage the player to create a winding path that can give them an advantage over enemies. A wide level maintains the same player motivations, but gives them a new kind of "shape" to work with.

#gamedev #indiedev
A picture of a level, with the player in the centre surrounded by cargo containers. The enemies are dotted around them, instead of solely ahead of them.
September 24, 2025 at 8:03 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Whenever designing, drawing or programming, I always come back to a youtube account called Blue Turtle to get in the right mindset. The calm music coupled with the gorgeous art always inspires me to keep moving forward with what I'm creating.

youtu.be/mGsEkM69cwQ?...

#gamedev #indiedev
Ithya's Journey - Fantasy Music for Inspiration
YouTube video by Blue Turtle
youtu.be
September 16, 2025 at 9:04 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
For #screenshotsaturday, I thought I'd post how the levels have changed. From quite a muted lighting in the 1st level, to a more vibrant, exciting environment. I've refined levels to be more satisfying to look at while also expanding on their size and shape.

#gamedev #indiedev
Level 1, set in a cuboid room with a grey-ish colour palette. Level 4, a large level set in a car junkyard. It's winding path creates a split from the cuboid look of earlier levels, making the player think more about what path they want to create for themselves. Level 5 is square and set on a chessboard. The level's shape is supported by the theme, creating an environment the player should recognise and find engaging. Level 8, made from cargo containers. Levels 6 - 10 ask the player to move objects to access enemies, whereas previous levels only required the player to use obstacles as environmental shields against bullets.
September 13, 2025 at 5:36 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
A quick update. Currently experimenting with adding small pathways, similar to a flank route, where the player can move obstacles and change what path they decide to take. It gives the environment a different feeling, keeping subsequent levels from getting repetitive.

#gamedev #indiedev
A screenshot showing the "alley" the player can use on the right. The alley has less enemies and allows the player to flank, but is narrower, making it harder to avoid enemy shots. An annotation of enemy locations and the blocked alley. The player can move the black cargo containers to create a path through the level.
September 9, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Rui Silva
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
How Level 7 has changed, from prototype to gameplay. I started with 4 walls, but quickly realised the level doesn’t ‘pop’ when it looks like you’re playing inside a box. By creating scattered stacks of cargo containers, the environment looks more engaging.

#gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday
A paper prototype of the level. The level is surrounded by 4 straight walls. The player is marked by 'P' enemies by 'X'. Movable obstacles are black and immovables are white. The first in-engine prototype. I changed the location of obstacles but also realised that the walls look too plain. The cargo containers that form the walls are now scattered, creating a more realistic and engaging environment. Gameplay where you can see how the player has manipulated the positioning of obstacles and how the walls don't look as flat as before.
September 6, 2025 at 9:01 AM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
How Level 7 has changed, from prototype to gameplay. I started with 4 walls, but quickly realised the level doesn’t ‘pop’ when it looks like you’re playing inside a box. By creating scattered stacks of cargo containers, the environment looks more engaging.

#gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday
A paper prototype of the level. The level is surrounded by 4 straight walls. The player is marked by 'P' enemies by 'X'. Movable obstacles are black and immovables are white. The first in-engine prototype. I changed the location of obstacles but also realised that the walls look too plain. The cargo containers that form the walls are now scattered, creating a more realistic and engaging environment. Gameplay where you can see how the player has manipulated the positioning of obstacles and how the walls don't look as flat as before.
September 6, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by Rui Silva
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been reading the Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman and wanted to visualise some of his concepts. I find them invaluable when designing game mechanics. Hopefully they can inspire others too!

#gamedev #design
Explaining the concepts of affordances and signifiers. An example of how affordances and signifiers can be displayed on a door, along with how affordances may not always be perceivable. Examples of the two concepts in video games.
September 3, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Rui Silva
benithemaker.bsky.social
Guys, meet Fernando! He's one of the amazing artists featured on steamcapsule.com/artists, and he sent this wonderful message, it's just so nice! 💚

👤 @fernandobravan.bsky.social
🔗 artstation.com/bravanart

Feel free to share and support #gamedev! 🎉

#indiegamedev #gameart #gamemarketing #steam
September 3, 2025 at 9:32 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
I've been reading the Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman and wanted to visualise some of his concepts. I find them invaluable when designing game mechanics. Hopefully they can inspire others too!

#gamedev #design
Explaining the concepts of affordances and signifiers. An example of how affordances and signifiers can be displayed on a door, along with how affordances may not always be perceivable. Examples of the two concepts in video games.
September 3, 2025 at 5:23 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
Experimenting with how obstacles can be used for more than just cover. Here, you must manipulate cargo containers to open a path to the rest of the level. I use the container to block enemies’ view of me and utilise a roadblock as cover.

#gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday
August 30, 2025 at 5:37 PM
ruisilvagamedesign.bsky.social
It can be good to get some late-night ideas on to paper. Definitely saves trying to remember them until morning.

#gamedev #indiedev
A notebook with a handful of sketches of levels, with small explanations beside.
August 28, 2025 at 10:55 PM