Senior Designer / Level Designer
Job Description
Kinesthetic Games is looking for an experienced Designer / Game Designer to work alongside the Game Director and act as the creative conductor of the development team. The ideal candidate will have worked in a Design role on a number of successful, shipped games and will have a deep understanding of the elements that make a game fun. As one of the most critical roles in a small start-up minded team, the Senior Game Designer will need to indicate a knack for multitasking and an ability to comfortably jump between high level brainstorming and concepting tasks to low level implementation tasks like level design, mission scripting, documentation, balancing and fine tuning. Experience with emerging markets and business models is a big bonus as is familiarity with industry standard engines like Unity and Unreal is a big bonus.
Desired Skills & Experience
The ideal applicant will have at least 3 years’ experience working in the games industry, preferably with cross platform experience. Demonstrable experience of game design skills like writing, balancing, economy tweaking, flow charts, diagrams, prototyping, brainstorming is strongly desirable. Academic qualification is a bonus, but not essential if you can demonstrate appropriate experience. Past experience with industry standard engines (Unreal/Unity) is a huge bonus especially if a candidate can demonstrate an ability to do efficient and beautiful level design and quickly prototype concepts and mechanics within these engines with the use of high level tools (Scripting, Kismet, Playmaker etc.)
The ideal applicant will have at least 3 years’ experience working in the games industry, preferably with cross platform experience. Demonstrable experience of game design skills like writing, balancing, economy tweaking, flow charts, diagrams, prototyping, brainstorming is strongly desirable. Academic qualification is a bonus, but not essential if you can demonstrate appropriate experience. Past experience with industry standard engines (Unreal/Unity) is a huge bonus especially if a candidate can demonstrate an ability to do efficient and beautiful level design and quickly prototype concepts and mechanics within these engines with the use of high level tools (Scripting, Kismet, Playmaker etc.)
Responsibilities
- Works alongside Game Director to oversee and execute Game direction, design documentation and feature planning
- Works with Producer on development strategy, planning and implementing design work.
- Works with Game and Art Director to identify content needs and participates in the direction and execution of level design work
- Works with Art to design and implement crucial game levels and oversees internal and external level design staff
- Constantly stays on top of playtesting needs and the feedback iteration cycle to ensure maximum possible playability and fun factor in the end product
- Understands and executes successful data-driven design for monetization, virality, and player retention.
- Analyzes key data and metrics and directs the adaptation and content updates of the game accordingly.
- Concepts and pitches new game mechanics and contributes to strategic planning.
Skills
- At least 3 years of successful game industry experience having worked on games for multiple platforms (Console/Tablet/Smartphone/PC)
- At least 1 successful game shipped
- Excellent communication, writing, documentation, and leadership skills.
- Understanding of scripting or high level programming languages
- Experience with game systems, metric analysis, writing, balancing, and tuning. Has experience working easily with developers of all disciplines.[/li]
- Encyclopedic passion for and knowledge of games, especially on emerging platforms.
- Wide interests in game design and other creative work.
- Ability to work well in a fluid, changing environment as creative challenges evolve
- Strong work ethic, self-motivated, demonstrates initiative, and a powerful creative drive
- Excellent initiative, self-motivation, organisational and problem solving skills, with the ability to both drive and follow direction
- Good communication skills, able to work well under pressure
- A strong grasp of signs and feedback in player-facing systems (aka juiciness)
- Good communication and team attitude working with game developers from all disciplines
- A genuine interest in playing games. A love for games with deep engaging combat as well as a passion for martial arts is a big bonus.
- Previous experience with Unreal Engine/Unity Engine is a bonus
Company Information
Kinesthetic Games is a young start up where experience, talent and skill are surpassed only by our passion for creating awesome things. We’re a small group of motivated industry vets (ex-Lionhead) looking to make our mark on the world and we want you to join us! As a start up we crave responsibility and ownership and the variety that comes from not pigeonholing ourselves in strictly defined roles and sinking our teeth into all sorts of crazy challenges! Our mission is to maintain an environment where team goals and personal expression are valued and fostered equally. We are a friendly bunch who are strong believers in excellent work/life balance and the “work hard, play hard” philosophy. We offer competitive pay and benefits like annual and project based bonuses. Kinesthetic Games is situated in one of the UK’s most vibrant games development hubs: the historic town of Guildford, Surrey. With its rural countryside and picturesque town centre, a 35 minute ride to central London and its active gamedev community due to the large number of studios operating in the area, Guildford is an ideal base for games developers looking for career opportunities in the UK
Additional Information
Type: Contract
Experience: Mid-Senior level
Functions: Design
Industries: Computer Games
Job ID: 6820859