Job Responsibilities

The duties of a game designer can vary greatly depending on the nature of the project that they are working on.

Most game designers will be responsible for creating and tuning the rules of gameplay. In the absence of a dedicated writer, the designer will also be responsible for creating the characters, world, and narrative elements of the game. In collaboration with a Senior or Lead Artist, the game designer will create the visual look and feel of the setting in which the game takes place.

Game designers will work closely with programmers to ensure that the features they would like to see implemented are possible, practical, and worthwhile. They also solicit feedback from testers to ensure that features are functioning properly and in proper balance.

Perhaps most of all, designers work closely with dedicated level designers to ensure that all assets of the game create the type of experience that the game designer expected. Often, game designers will design levels themselves when other duties do not require their attention.

Training and Education Requirements

There is no industry standard of education or work credentials that one must possess to be a game designer. Most studios will require a Bachelor’s degree or higher, as well as an impressive portfolio. Usually game designers are hired after they have acquired some game industry experience. There are schools that offer degrees specifically in Game Design or similar programs, but these are so recent that they have not become industry-standard.

The portfolio that game designers present must showcase their skills in a variety of applicable areas. Previous work creating complete games as part of a team of developers is ideal. Beyond that, it should demonstrate the game designer’s ability to clearly communicate game ideas to others, and may include samples of rules explanations, game pitches, game design documents, level descriptions, character profiles, and so forth.

Because game designers interact with so many different areas of development, it is frequently helpful to possess skills that are not strictly design-oriented. Depending on where one applies and what the project’s focus is, these will be of varying value. Skill in programming or scripting is almost always beneficial. Drawing, traditional art, or graphic design skills are also of use. If the project requires it, many times the game designer will be in charge of writing dialogue and text for the game when no writer is available.