Founding Game Designer

This Founding Game Designer role involves inventing a new style of voice-controlled game-driven learning experience. The designer will take the product from idea to first playable experiences, focusing on combining arcade fun, casual game loops, and voice-based interaction. Responsibilities include designing core gameplay loops, voice-based mechanics using pitch, volume, and timing, and procedural gameplay systems that generate elements from songs. The role requires deep player understanding, a focus on game feel, rapid prototyping, and cross-functional collaboration with AI and engineering teams.

Must Have

• Design a main game loop where short play sessions feel exciting and habit-forming
• Create learning without feeling like learning experiences through gameplay
• Design gameplay where pitch, volume, and timing directly control in-game actions
• Translate vocal input into movement, aiming, power, physics, or progression
• Design systems where songs automatically generate gameplay elements
• Deeply understand beginners and casual users
• Design for motivation, excitement, and low intimidation for first-time players
• Turn practice concepts into satisfying, arcade-style interactions
• Focus on responsiveness, feedback, and moment-to-moment fun
• Build quick, playable prototypes to test ideas
• Experiment with how voice input feels as a game control method
• Design progression systems such as streaks, rewards, upgrades, and currencies
• Drive retention, habit formation, and long-term engagement
• Work closely with AI and engineering teams
• Understand voice analysis capabilities and latency, and design gameplay that feels responsive and reliable
• Experience building games from scratch (0 to 1)
• Comfortable working in an early-stage environment with fast decision-making and ambiguity
• Experience designing casual, hyper-casual, or arcade-style mobile games
• Strong understanding of game feel, instant feedback, and short-session gameplay
• Basic ability to sing or play an instrument
• Clear understanding of pitch, rhythm, and musical structure
• Comfortable working directly inside a game engine (Unity or Unreal)
• Able to tweak values, test mechanics, and script simple gameplay behaviors

Good to Have

• Experience in game-based learning or edtech products
• Background in music or audio-based games (rhythm games, music-driven gameplay)
• Prior experience using audio or voice input as a gameplay mechanic

Perks & Benefits

• Significant Equity (Founding Team Role)
• Work on a large and growing market that is still underserved for casual users
• Help define a new category of voice-driven games
• High creative ownership with real influence over game direction and mechanics
• Early founding-team role with equity upside and long-term impact

About the job Founding Game Designer

Founding Game Designer

Location: Bangalore preferred (Open to remote / hybrid with frequent office visits)

Type: Full-Time | Founding Team Role (Includes Significant Equity)

Role Overview

We are building a new kind of game-driven learning experience where the human voice becomes the controller. This role is for a Founding Game Designer who will help take the product from idea to first playable experiences.

This is not a typical level-design role. You will be inventing a new style of gameplay that combines arcade fun, casual game loops, and voice-based interaction, turning practice into something players want to do every day.

You will work closely with engineers and product leaders to design games that feel fun first, while quietly teaching skills in the background.

What You Will Create

1. Core Gameplay Loop

• Design a main game loop where short play sessions (around 3 minutes) feel exciting and habit-forming.
• Create learning without feeling like learning experiences through gameplay.

2. Voice-Based Mechanics

• Design gameplay where pitch, volume, and timing directly control in-game actions.
• Translate vocal input into movement, aiming, power, physics, or progression.

3. Procedural Gameplay Systems

• Design systems where songs automatically generate gameplay elements such as levels, enemies, obstacles, and rewards.
• Use song structure (lyrics, rhythm, melody) to drive game variety and replayability.

Key Responsibilities

Player Understanding

• Deeply understand beginners and casual users.
• Design for motivation, excitement, and low intimidation for first-time players.

Game Feel & Fun

• Turn practice concepts (pitch accuracy, rhythm, breath control) into satisfying, arcade-style interactions.
• Focus on responsiveness, feedback, and moment-to-moment fun.

Rapid Prototyping

• Build quick, playable prototypes to test ideas.
• Experiment with how voice input feels as a game control method.

Systems & Economy Design

• Design progression systems such as streaks, rewards, upgrades, and currencies.
• Drive retention, habit formation, and long-term engagement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with AI and engineering teams.
• Understand voice analysis capabilities and latency, and design gameplay that feels responsive and reliable.

Requirements

Core Experience

• Experience building games from scratch (0 to 1).
• Comfortable working in an early-stage environment with fast decision-making and ambiguity.

Game Design Background

• Experience designing casual, hyper-casual, or arcade-style mobile games.
• Strong understanding of game feel, instant feedback, and short-session gameplay.

Music Understanding

• Basic ability to sing or play an instrument.
• Clear understanding of pitch, rhythm, and musical structure.

Technical Comfort

• Comfortable working directly inside a game engine (Unity or Unreal).
• Able to tweak values, test mechanics, and script simple gameplay behaviors.

Bonus Skills

• Experience in game-based learning or edtech products.
• Background in music or audio-based games (rhythm games, music-driven gameplay).
• Prior experience using audio or voice input as a gameplay mechanic.

Why This Role

• Work on a large and growing market that is still underserved for casual users.
• Help define a new category of voice-driven games.
• High creative ownership with real influence over game direction and mechanics.
• Early founding-team role with equity upside and long-term impact.

Please note: This position is for one of Playdawn's clients, and successful candidates will be hired directly by the client, not by Playdawn.

Our client is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. They are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, or other protected characteristics. They believe that diversity fuels innovation and creativity, and they strive to create an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to shared success.