Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, physics driven action-adventure game

My Role

UX Design Lead

Product Type

Videogame

The Force Unleashed earned critical praise for its cinematic ambition and physics-based implementation of Force powers, ultimately selling over 9 million copies. I was responsible for inventing, designing the game's interface to meet platform standards for presentation and localization. This included systems for subtitles, progression, and combat. Using a Lua-based UI framework developed by our engineers, I built and animated menus, screens and displays.

Combat Scenario, Gameplay · A stormtrooper is hurled into a TIE fighter, destroying both on impact. Directional damage and reactive metering on the HUD overlay subsequently show the player being damaged by a nearby enemy

Developer & PUBLISHER

Platforms

Lifecycle

Released 2008

Key Skills & Tools

In-house Game Tooling, Anark Studio, Lua Scripting, Photoshop, Illustrator, Prototyping

Credits

Game Director Haden Blackman Art Director Matt Omernick Game Design John Stafford, Rich Davis, Shawn Pitman, Cameron Suey Interface Design Gary Boodhoo, Brian Lui Visual Effects Timothy Nice Interface Engineering Stephen Schlueter, Jeffrey Pyacek, Shawn McLean Production Isa Anne Stamos, Matthew J. Fillbrandt, Julio Torres, Franklin Alioto Localization Hiromi Okamoto, Gabriel Bootz Quality Assurance Julian James, Troy Sims

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, physics driven action-adventure game

My Role

UX Design Lead

Product Type

Videogame

The Force Unleashed earned critical praise for its cinematic ambition and physics-based implementation of Force powers, ultimately selling over 9 million copies. I was responsible for inventing, designing the game's interface to meet platform standards for presentation and localization. This included systems for subtitles, progression, and combat. Using a Lua-based UI framework developed by our engineers, I built and animated menus, screens and displays.

Combat Scenario, Gameplay · A stormtrooper is hurled into a TIE fighter, destroying both on impact. Directional damage and reactive metering on the HUD overlay subsequently show the player being damaged by a nearby enemy

Developer & PUBLISHER

Platforms

Lifecycle

Released 2008

Key Skills & Tools

In-house Game Tooling, Anark Studio, Lua Scripting, Photoshop, Illustrator, Prototyping

Credits

Game Director Haden Blackman Art Director Matt Omernick Game Design John Stafford, Rich Davis, Shawn Pitman, Cameron Suey Interface Design Gary Boodhoo, Brian Lui Visual Effects Timothy Nice Interface Engineering Stephen Schlueter, Jeffrey Pyacek, Shawn McLean Production Isa Anne Stamos, Matthew J. Fillbrandt, Julio Torres, Franklin Alioto Localization Hiromi Okamoto, Gabriel Bootz Quality Assurance Julian James, Troy Sims

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, physics driven action-adventure game

My Role

UX Design Lead

Product Type

Videogame

The Force Unleashed earned critical praise for its cinematic ambition and physics-based implementation of Force powers, ultimately selling over 9 million copies. I was responsible for inventing, designing the game's interface to meet platform standards for presentation and localization. This included systems for subtitles, progression, and combat. Using a Lua-based UI framework developed by our engineers, I built and animated menus, screens and displays.

Combat Scenario, Gameplay · A stormtrooper is hurled into a TIE fighter, destroying both on impact. Directional damage and reactive metering on the HUD overlay subsequently show the player being damaged by a nearby enemy

Developer & PUBLISHER

Platforms

Lifecycle

Released 2008

Key Skills & Tools

In-house Game Tooling, Anark Studio, Lua Scripting, Photoshop, Illustrator, Prototyping

Credits

Game Director Haden Blackman Art Director Matt Omernick Game Design John Stafford, Rich Davis, Shawn Pitman, Cameron Suey Interface Design Gary Boodhoo, Brian Lui Visual Effects Timothy Nice Interface Engineering Stephen Schlueter, Jeffrey Pyacek, Shawn McLean Production Isa Anne Stamos, Matthew J. Fillbrandt, Julio Torres, Franklin Alioto Localization Hiromi Okamoto, Gabriel Bootz Quality Assurance Julian James, Troy Sims

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, physics driven action-adventure game

My Role

UX Design Lead

Product Type

Videogame

The Force Unleashed earned critical praise for its cinematic ambition and physics-based implementation of Force powers, ultimately selling over 9 million copies. I was responsible for inventing, designing the game's interface to meet platform standards for presentation and localization. This included systems for subtitles, progression, and combat. Using a Lua-based UI framework developed by our engineers, I built and animated menus, screens and displays.

Combat Scenario, Gameplay · A stormtrooper is hurled into a TIE fighter, destroying both on impact. Directional damage and reactive metering on the HUD overlay subsequently show the player being damaged by a nearby enemy

Developer & PUBLISHER

Platforms

Lifecycle

Released 2008

Key Skills & Tools

In-house Game Tooling, Anark Studio, Lua Scripting, Photoshop, Illustrator, Prototyping

Credits

Game Director Haden Blackman Art Director Matt Omernick Game Design John Stafford, Rich Davis, Shawn Pitman, Cameron Suey Interface Design Gary Boodhoo, Brian Lui Visual Effects Timothy Nice Interface Engineering Stephen Schlueter, Jeffrey Pyacek, Shawn McLean Production Isa Anne Stamos, Matthew J. Fillbrandt, Julio Torres, Franklin Alioto Localization Hiromi Okamoto, Gabriel Bootz Quality Assurance Julian James, Troy Sims

spatial awareness

Always Just Beneath the Surface

Throwing and moving things (with The Force) was effortless and intuitive thanks to a targeting system that prioritized a hierarchy of nearby objects without requiring precise aim. I prototyped the Force Targeting system in-engine using Lua, running on PlayStation 3 hardware to test reactivity and timing.

High Priority Targets, Experience Map · UX Design Gary Boodhoo

Force Targeting Prototype, Game Engine · Interaction Design Gary Boodhoo

Throwing a crate and opening a locked door with The Force, Gameplay Video · UX/UI Design Gary Boodhoo Visual Effects Timothy Nice

customization

Making Choices Feel Powerful

Systems for customization, lightsaber tuning, and progression were designed to make stats feel like part of the story. Animated energy fields and embedded lore cues kept the user interface grounded in the Star Wars universe.

Lightsaber Customization Screen, Design Mockup · UX/UI Design Gary Boodhoo Visual Design Brian Lui

Lightsaber Customization Screen, Gameplay Video · UX/UI Design Gary Boodhoo Visual Design Brian Lui

targeting feedback

Combat Ready

The in-game interface was designed to stay out of the way but shout at you when it mattered. I scripted Lua-driven behaviors for Health and Force Meters to signal critical moments such as "about to die", ensuring players got the right feedback at the right time even in the middle of chaotic combat.

Visualizing gains and losses to health, Design Mockup · Interface Design & Animation Gary Boodhoo

Outcome

The project cemented my role as someone who could design systems and help teams use them well. That experience shaped how I work: supporting collaboration, adapting to uncertainty, and turning ambitious ideas into reality.

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Olaf Piesche

Staff Engineer,Shield AI

Gary is a fantastic UI and interaction designer, able to find solutions nobody else is able to see, and to improve and polish where others give up. He's very pleasant to work with and a great guy all around.

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Olaf Piesche

Staff Engineer,Shield AI

Gary is a fantastic UI and interaction designer, able to find solutions nobody else is able to see, and to improve and polish where others give up. He's very pleasant to work with and a great guy all around.

Logo

Olaf Piesche

Staff Engineer,Shield AI

Gary is a fantastic UI and interaction designer, able to find solutions nobody else is able to see, and to improve and polish where others give up. He's very pleasant to work with and a great guy all around.

Logo

Olaf Piesche

Staff Engineer,Shield AI

Gary is a fantastic UI and interaction designer, able to find solutions nobody else is able to see, and to improve and polish where others give up. He's very pleasant to work with and a great guy all around.

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Shawn McLean

iOS and Stack Developer, Therapy Muse

Working with Gary proved the point that artists and engineers can be very productive working together. We accomplished a great deal in a faily short time span, thanks to his open mind and creative approaches to problems.

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Shawn McLean

iOS and Stack Developer, Therapy Muse

Working with Gary proved the point that artists and engineers can be very productive working together. We accomplished a great deal in a faily short time span, thanks to his open mind and creative approaches to problems.

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Shawn McLean

iOS and Stack Developer, Therapy Muse

Working with Gary proved the point that artists and engineers can be very productive working together. We accomplished a great deal in a faily short time span, thanks to his open mind and creative approaches to problems.

Logo

Shawn McLean

iOS and Stack Developer, Therapy Muse

Working with Gary proved the point that artists and engineers can be very productive working together. We accomplished a great deal in a faily short time span, thanks to his open mind and creative approaches to problems.

Product Type

Videogame

Developer & PUBLISHER

Platforms

Lifecycle

Released 2008

Key Skills & Tools

In-house Game Tooling, Anark Studio, Lua Scripting, Photoshop, Illustrator, Prototyping

Credits

Game Director Haden Blackman Art Director Matt Omernick Game Design John Stafford, Rich Davis, Shawn Pitman, Cameron Suey Interface Design Gary Boodhoo, Brian Lui Visual Effects Timothy Nice Interface Engineering Stephen Schlueter, Jeffrey Pyacek, Shawn McLean Production Isa Anne Stamos, Matthew J. Fillbrandt, Julio Torres, Franklin Alioto Localization Hiromi Okamoto, Gabriel Bootz Quality Assurance Julian James, Troy Sims

Game Director Haden Blackman Art Director Matt Omernick Game Design John Stafford, Rich Davis, Shawn Pitman, Cameron Suey Interface Design Gary Boodhoo, Brian Lui Visual Effects Timothy Nice Interface Engineering Stephen Schlueter, Jeffrey Pyacek, Shawn McLean Production Isa Anne Stamos, Matthew J. Fillbrandt, Julio Torres, Franklin Alioto Localization Hiromi Okamoto, Gabriel Bootz Quality Assurance Julian James, Troy Sims

Game Director Haden Blackman Art Director Matt Omernick Game Design John Stafford, Rich Davis, Shawn Pitman, Cameron Suey Interface Design Gary Boodhoo, Brian Lui Visual Effects Timothy Nice Interface Engineering Stephen Schlueter, Jeffrey Pyacek, Shawn McLean Production Isa Anne Stamos, Matthew J. Fillbrandt, Julio Torres, Franklin Alioto Localization Hiromi Okamoto, Gabriel Bootz Quality Assurance Julian James, Troy Sims

Gary Boodhoo

Creative Direction • Product Design | Contact gboodhoo at gmail | Site Design Gary Boodhoo ©2025 | Made in San Francisco

Let's Connect

Here's My Resume

Gary Boodhoo

Creative Direction • Product Design | Contact gboodhoo at gmail | Site Design Gary Boodhoo ©2025 | Made in San Francisco

Let's Connect

Here's My Resume

Gary Boodhoo

Creative Direction • Product Design | Contact gboodhoo at gmail | Site Design Gary Boodhoo ©2025 | Made in San Francisco

Let's Connect

Here's My Resume

Gary Boodhoo

Creative Direction • Product Design | Contact gboodhoo at gmail | Site Design Gary Boodhoo ©2025 | Made in San Francisco

Let's Connect

Here's My Resume