Senior Gameplay Designer

1 Month ago • 5 Years + • Game Design

Job Summary

Job Description

Senior Gameplay Designer responsible for building initial 3D gameplay prototypes in C++, reviewing prototypes from other designers, coordinating with a team of programmers, artists, and animators, conducting playtests, mentoring junior designers, and using gameplay to evoke emotion. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of professional game development experience, C++ (or strong C# with interest in learning C++), and a passion for creating immersive and emotionally resonant animal interactions. The game focuses on creating 'squishy, intimate, and strange' interactions, drawing inspiration from sources like fairytales, Jim Henson, and Junji Ito. The role involves balancing realism with efficient development, requiring the ability to ruthlessly cut unnecessary elements while championing impactful design choices. The position offers a fully remote or on-site option in Los Angeles.
Must have:
  • 5+ years game dev experience
  • C++ experience (or strong C#)
  • Build 3D prototypes
  • Review & coordinate with team
  • Conduct playtests & give feedback
  • Mentor junior designers
Good to have:
  • Interest in science & biology
  • Unreal & Blueprint experience
  • Blender or Maya experience

Job Details

Senior Gameplay Designer

Our is about the mesmerizing experience of interacting with wild animals.

We're looking for a designer who wants to think deeply about questions like "what helps make an interaction feel weirdly alive? Or unsettling? Or intimate?" and is ready to explore those questions by building gameplay prototypes. Our goal is to create gameplay that feels squishy, intimate, and strange. Like a , a , or a but filtered through an aesthetic that includes classic fairytales, Jim Henson, and Junji Ito.

Making a game about animal interactions is tricky because a lot of the challenges scale up very quickly. Animals are ludicrously complicated in terms of their behavior, physics, rendering, sound design, and animation, among other things. We're hoping that you're senior AND curious enough to have had experience with a wide variety of game systems because most of our hard problems are very interdisciplinary.

As the game's senior designer you'll have two major responsibilities. First, single-handedly building initial gameplay prototypes to explore potential directions. And second, you'll coordinate and guide the rest of the team as they flesh out the early prototypes created by you and other designers.

We want our interactions to feel as lifelike as possible but we also don't want to spend the next two years making one seagull. Ideally you've learned some hard lessons on previous projects and can push us to ruthlessly cut things players aren't going to notice while advocating for the big swings and little touches that help create memorable moments.

You should be someone with a strong interest in using gameplay to evoke emotion and with the technical skills to single-handedly build 3D gameplay prototypes. They don't have to be beautiful, just emotionally expressive.

What you'll do here

  • Build rapid 3D gameplay prototypes in C++
  • Review prototypes created by other designers
  • Coordinate and give feedback to a small team of programmers, artists, and animators
  • Watch regular playtests and discuss feedback
  • Mentor junior designers

Must haves

  • 5+ years of professional game development experience
  • C++ experience OR a very strong C# background and an interest in learning C++

Nice to haves

  • An interest in science and biology
  • Experience with Unreal and Blueprint scripting
  • Experience with Blender or Maya

This role could be fully remote or you can join us in Los Angeles if you'd like.

If you think you'd be a good fit, please .

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Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)

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