SolarBest
Riley "Solar" Chen
Gamer, builder, designer — powered by sunlight and screen glow.
Riley Chen
SolarBest · UX Designer · Gamer since 2012
Hi! I'm Riley — "Solar" to friends online. I live in Portland, Oregon, where it rains enough that staying inside with a controller feels like a lifestyle choice, not a habit.
Gaming has been my creative outlet longer than any job I've had. Minecraft taught me patience and spatial thinking. Solarpunk gave me a world I actually want to live in. Brawl Stars keeps my reflexes sharp and my salt levels calibrated.
How I Got Here
First Minecraft World
Dad installed Minecraft Beta on the family laptop. I built a dirt house and thought it was architecture. Hooked instantly.
Joined a SMP Server
Discovered multiplayer through a school friend's realm. Learned redstone, griefing etiquette, and the joy of shared builds.
Hollow Knight Completion
First game I 100%-ed. Proved I could stick with something brutally hard. Still my gold standard for game design.
Brawl Stars Ranked Grind
Pandemic era mobile gaming. Hit Diamond, then Mythic, then Legendary. Cordelius mains unite.
Discovered Solarpunk
A friend recommended it. Finished the demo, bought full game same week. Now it's tied with Minecraft for "comfort game" status.
SolarBest Goes Live
Built this Neocities site to document builds, tier lists, and gaming thoughts. Welcome to my corner of the indie web.
My Gaming Rig
Why I Play
I don't chase every AAA release. I replay games that respect my time — ones with personality, emergent stories, and worlds I want to screenshot.
Solarpunk aesthetics bleed into everything: my Minecraft builds, my desk plants, even my UX work. I believe games can show us futures worth building — block by block, match by match.
