Description
Design core features and systems for games, including mechanics, progression, narratives, and characters. Create and maintain clear design documentation, prototype and iterate on ideas, and collaborate with production, art, engineering, and QA to deliver the intended player experience.
- • Research games and other media to inspire new design ideas.
- • Deliver test specifications to QA.
- • Stay current on design tools, trends, and player insights.
- • Create gameplay test plans for internal and external groups.
- • Give feedback to peers on design features.
- • Balance and tune gameplay for fun, clarity, and retention.
- • Write or oversee in-game text and dialogue.
- • Gather and integrate cross-disciplinary feedback into designs.
- • Advise production on technical quality and design adherence.
- • Produce 2D layouts and 3D mockups as needed.
- • Present design concepts to stakeholders across disciplines.
- • Create and iterate on sketches using 2D/3D tools.
- • Oversee playtests to validate experience and vision.
- • Facilitate design discussions across teams.
- • Design missions, challenges, and puzzles.
- • Develop and maintain design documentation and level specs.
- • Define meta systems and UX, such as economy, items, menus, and audio direction.
- • Build gameplay prototypes to explore and communicate ideas.
- • Plan docs, schedules, prototyping goals, and communications with production.
- • Work with stakeholders to define requirements and implement online features.
- • Run recurring design reviews during development.
- • Collaborate with art to achieve the intended visual style.
- • Document systems with mockups, flowcharts, and sample UI.
- • Create core features, including mechanics, storylines, and character biographies.
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Arts, Entertainment, & Design
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
