There is no way we would be introducing Umberto without tagging him with the warrior label... the number of hours we are investing in Ale Abbey's UX and UI and how he is put on that front line alongside the rest of the artists in the team is... kind of an epic on its own.
Without further ado, another bearded fella that - relatively recently - joined Ale Abbey's development, Umberto!
-- Can you tell us a few things about you
I was born in 1989 and I live in Palermo, in my beloved Sicily. I grew up in a family where everyone played video games, surrounded by every kind of console imaginable. I started thinking about developing my own video game when I was 11 years old, together with my uncle. When I realized the difficulties, I tried sending a script to Ubisoft, but never received a response (Zig Taf, one day I will create you).
I graduated in Industrial Design and specialized in Graphic Design and Visual Communication, disciplines for which I have a great passion, just like video games and art. I always try to merge these three aspects in everything I do.
-- What do video games mean to you and what is your goal?
In my life, I have had numerous passions: music, cinema, sports, and the list goes on. However, only three survived and still remain in my life: video games, design, and art. They stimulate the mind, heart, and imagination equally, but in different ways for those who experience them passively and for those who are actively involved in the field. Among all my passions, video games are the ones I have nurtured for the longest time. However, today, with the accumulation of awareness over time, I am convinced that video games need greater care in their development. That is why I want to utilize my skills in the field of design and my knowledge of art history to transform video games into projects that embrace the concept of 360° design.
-- What's the first game you remember playing and the most recent you've played?
I have a lot of confused memories about it. I started playing on the NES, Megadrive, and SNES, with games like Super Mario, Sonic, TMNT: Turtles in Time, and many others. I used to play video games a lot. The earlier ones, such as Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Doom, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Age of Empire 2, ISS PRO, and Street Fighter, are the ones that I remember most vividly.
Today, not much has changed. I play a lot of titles without caring about the genre. In recent years, I have fully immersed myself in independent or small-scale productions, and I play a lot of them. I only play a few AAA games, unless they are competitive (such as Hunt: Showdown, Overwatch, and Rocket League), or others that I consider really worth playing from a game design perspective, which can be counted on one hand (for example, the Doom games published by Bethesda). I really hate it when a video game lasts longer than it should...
-- Do you like beer? Do you brew?
I really like beer, but for my own good, it's better for me to stay away from anything with an alcohol content higher than that of water. My body can't handle it. However, occasionally I treat myself to a 0.20, and I'm extremely happy!
You can find more information about Umberto on his Behance and Instagram profiles!
Join us next week for more of Ale Abbey's news! For now, enjoy your weekend responsibly ;)
-- Hammer & Ravens
Looking for more Ale Abbey? Or maybe want to chat with the team and our community? Find us on:
