Game Designer

The Game Designer will architect game designs utilizing analytics driven design approaches. The ideal candidate can actively drive excellence in game design on their projects and work effectively with cross-functional teams to communicate, implement, and polish these designs into shipped products. Design specialties include, but are not limited to: Online / MMO Design, Multiplayer Design, Social Game Design, AI Design/Scripting, Design tools/pipeline, UI/HUD Design, Human Factors Engineering, Level Design, Systems Design, Play Balancing, Sandbox Design, Interactive Story Design, and Design Production Methodologies.

Responsibilities

  • Organize game design scaffolding for each project
  • Form ideas and features into game design calculus
  • Effectively champion excellence in design specialty, particularly social games, to internal and external stakeholders
  • Creatively solve problems related to game design specialties for a wide variety of genres, titles, and resource budgets
  • Work directly with product teams to improve game design in specified areas, while balancing resource, schedule, and quality needs
  • Writing concise, readable game design documents that clearly communicate both design intent and design details
  • Effectively communicate design solutions through a variety of means, from informal one-on-ones to detailed game design documents
  • Work effectively with cross-functional teams to implement design solutions
  • Integrate easily into a variety of team structures and styles
  • Create or adapt leading game features to update / work with existing games
  • Conduct design research and formally present findings in areas of specialty
  • Ability to follow through and see projects to completion, working independently and as a team
  • Educate, liaise and facilitate communication with Engineering, Production, QA, Art, Marketing / Sales, Biz Dev, Legal and all other internal groups regarding game design
  • Establish, communicate, and work towards department objectives to meet project schedules
  • Research, explore, and communicate best practices in game design and discern which competitive ideas are most effective; lead the development of goals, standards, processes and feedback mechanisms
  • Conduct formal and informal critique, and provide effective feedback
  • Develop and provide continuous quality improvement on processes for planning, execution, approval and reporting

Required Knowledge, Skills and Experience

  • 3+ years of professional experience as a game designer
  • College Degree from highly regarded/accredited institution, or respectable body of professional work/experience
  • Experience in the entertainment and/or video game / interactive markets
  • Demonstrable expertise of game design principles, documentation and tracking
  • Solid understanding/philosophy of game design and the realities of production from an art, tech, and design standpoint
  • Demonstrated ability to make compromises while maintaining design integrity
  • Innovative creative problem solving
  • Demonstrated ability to work at many levels, from high level concepts to detailed design balancing
  • Outstanding communication and writing skills
  • Excellent grammatical skills and the ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams
  • Experience multitasking on multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines with a strong attention to detail and target quality
  • Expert understanding of direction and storytelling
  • Applied strategy, brainstorm facilitation, day-to-day shepherding of a project to completion and team collaboration with stakeholders is required
  • Work with product managers, developers and artists to oversee the implementation of new features and systems
  • Proven ability to think conceptually and broadly about projects and the brand as a whole, and to develop and evolve creative systems
  • Write copy, names, and narrative elements of game
  • Ability to describe user experience stories and create wireframe screens and flows
  • Expert with scripting, math and formulas in game environment
  • Experience designing social / combat and/or system mechanics including player control and NPC/AI types and behaviors
  • Strong knowledge of game balancing and pacing, tune and model complex systems using Excel
  • Fluent in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio) and familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash)
  • Passion for video games, virtual worlds and social networking
  • Shipped titles and experience in social / mobile / web video games a major plus
  • PLUS: Expertise in Flash Development: Actionscript 2 and 3, object-oriented programming, CPU/Memory optimization, JavaScript/Flash bridging, Cross-browser compatibility

Grab Benefits

GRAB offers competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and excellent growth opportunities. Our benefits are designed to strengthen our organization by supporting employees' ability to balance work, personal and family life. Through GRAB's exceptional company culture and outstanding benefits, employees have the opportunity to share in the Company's success and have more peace-of-mind and enjoyment in daily life.

  • Competitive salary
  • Bonuses
  • Employee Share Interest
  • Health care coverage
  • Dental coverage
  • Employee Referral Program
  • Paid holidays
  • Paid vacations
  • Weekly Catered Lunches
  • Team member events
  • Office snacks
  • and Video Games