How to Become a Game Designer

If there's one question I get asked more than
anything else, it's this: "how do I become

a game designer?".

I get emails from kids and teenagers and people
bored of their jobs who would love to turn

their passion for games into a career and
be the ones who actually design the mechanics,

systems, and levels that I talk about on this
show.

Unfortunately, I'm not really equipped to
answer this question.

However!

I do have some contacts who can help.

So over the last month I've been talking to
an enormous number of game designers, level

designers, employers, recruiters, educators,
and students - all in the hope of answering

the most fundamental questions about getting
into the biz as a designer.

Starting with the most important question
of all…

What does a game designer actually do?

The answer to this question is going to depend
entirely on the size of the studio, the type

of games they make, and the structure of their
teams.

Because depending on where you work, the design
role might be a very general position - or

an extremely specialised one.

On a very small mobile game, for example,
the game designer might be responsible for

every aspect of design.

But on a larger title, the role is likely
to be split between game design and level

design.

Go even bigger, and those roles might be split
up even further.

There are gameplay designers, who focus on
second-to-second interactions, and systems

designers, who look after over-arching concepts
like progression.

Level designers might be split into quest
designers and open world designers.

You might have narrative, UX, economy, and
technical designers - who are a bridge between

design and code.

There's no saying how specific these roles
can be - on Red Dead Redemption II, there

were people who focused exclusively on designing
systems for the horse.

But, okay - what do these people actually
do?

Well if we look at game designers, their job
is to come up with ideas for mechanics and systems.

If those are approved by the creative leads,
the designers will create detailed design

docs and asset lists to help programmers and
artists turn those ideas into reality.

Once those features exist, designers will
be given tools to manipulate the mechanic

further: perhaps a simple scripting language
to plan out interactions or a spreadsheet

of stats to change.

Level designers on the other hand are going
to be creating environments for the player

to explore and traverse - using the toys provided
by game designers.

On most big games, levels are made in "greybox"
- simple, untextured geometry that will be

dressed up by artists.

Level designers may also do scripting for
specific encounters, or to tie missions together

in an open world.

Both roles are highly collaborative, because
designers will be working closely with artists,

animators, programmers, writers, and others
to turn their ideas into something pretty and playable.

And highly iterative, as ideas will be endlessly
tweaked and changed in response to play-testing.

Okay, if that sounds interesting to you - let's
ask the next question.

How do you become a designer?

It's the million dollar question.

And from speaking with my industry experts,
I reckon you really need four things to get

a job as a designer.

You need to be able to think in terms of design.

You need soft, or interpersonal skills like
communication.

You'll need a strong portfolio to show what
you can do.

And for a lot of roles, you'll need some level
of experience in the games industry.

I'll come back to the first two when I'm talking
about interviews.

But for now, let's chat about portfolios and
experience.

If there's one piece of advice I got from
pretty much everyone I talked to, it's this:

make stuff.

Show people that you have the ability to design
a game or level - and then put that together

in a portfolio.

For example - this is Perses, a super short
game with fully destructible environments,

which helped Zachary Preece land a job on
Watch Dogs: Legion.

So if you want to be a game designer, your
portfolio should include small projects like

this that show your ability to come up with
an interesting mechanic or system.

These days it's entirely possible to actually
make these games, using tools like Unreal

Engine and Unity.

But if you really don't want to learn how
to code, you could use the PlayStation 4 game

Dreams, or use Tabletop Simulator to make
board and card games.

These don't need to be full games - they can
be vertical slices, game jam projects, and prototypes.

You can also work with others to make a game
- but when it comes to your portfolio, you

need to clearly explain which bits you personally
came up with.

Whatever the case, you've got to show your
working - make sure you have clear documentation

for how you dreamt up, designed, implemented,
and refined your ideas, so you can show potential

employers proof of your design thinking skills.

For level designers, it's all about making
an actual level.

Again, you can use something like Unreal or
Unity, but it's perfectly acceptable to use

modding tools and level editors for existing
games.

And if you can make a level that's relevant
to the company you're going for, even better

- I spoke to one designer who got the job
because they'd made a level for the firm's

previous game.

Whatever's on your portfolio, make sure your
stuff is finished - even if it's incredibly

short.

Try to focus on your best work, and always
pick quality over quantity.

And while downloads and documentations are
great, employers can't play and read everything

so pack your portfolio with videos and screenshots.

Now let's talk about experience.

While some studios will absolutely have entry
level positions for design, they're uncommon

and highly sought-after.

So you can boost your chances of getting hired
by getting experience in the industry.

One way to get this is through placements
like internships, trainee positions, and work

experience posts - which can absolutely turn
into full-time roles at the company if you

do well.

Another common approach is to start in quality
assurance (or QA, or game testing).

This gives you experience in the biz and a
first-hand look at how studios operate.

Again, it's not uncommon for QA testers - especially
those embedded in the development team - to

impress their bosses and get moved into design
roles at the same company.

But remember that QA is a vitally important
role in of itself, and shouldn't be seen as

just a stepping stone to design.

Perhaps the best advice is to remember that
your first job probably won't be designing

games at Blizzard or Bungie.

You can't be picky at this stage, so get experience
at places making mobile games, or kids games,

or even gambling games before making the leap
to the studios making your favourite blockbusters.

Now, there's one pretty stellar way to get
both a portfolio and experience.

And that's university (or college).

In 2021, there's a huge number of courses
for game design all around the world - like

DigiPen in Washington, Teeside University
in the UK, Breda University in The Netherlands,

and RMIT in Australia.

If you take these courses you'll be taught
game design theory and enough programming

to get you started, by people with industry
experience.

You'll make a strong portfolio of work, using
your end-of-year projects - Perses from earlier

was actually Zac's project at Staffordshire
Uni in the UK.

You'll also get to meet friends to build games
with and you'll make connections in the industry.

And you'll often get access to work experience
posts and graduate positions.

This is a strong and increasingly popular route into the
industry, but almost everyone I spoke to - including

the lecturers themselves - warned that the college
diploma itself isn't the important bit.

Instead, it's about making the most of the
opportunities and connections you're provided.

And it's about having the time to really focus
on building out your portfolio.

So ultimately, a game design degree is not
a guarantee of a good job in the industry.

And it's also definitely not a requirement
for many positions: which is good, because

depending on where you live university can
be an expensive proposition.

If you do decide to study game design, make
sure you research the school carefully.

Look at who is teaching and their credentials
and experience.

Look at which studios the university has good
connections with, and where graduates have

ended up.

And definitely look out for predatory for-profit
colleges in the US.

Always do your research before you enrol.

It's worth mentioning that other skills and
educational backgrounds can help you stand

out as a candidate.

For example, while coding is rarely needed
as a designer, some ability to program will

help you communicate better with engineers,
and help you understand the scripting tools

you'll be using.

Same goes for understanding other roles and
pipelines, like art and audio.

Also, knowledge of relevant disciplines such
as economics, architecture, art, and psychology

could make you a better candidate when going
toe-to-toe with those who have exclusively

studied game design.

And finally, we can't discount the social
side of things.

The classic "It's not what you know, it's
who you know".

Making strong connections in the industry
through networking events and social media

can open up doors that others can't even see.

But okay - you've got your CV, your portfolio,
perhaps some experience under your belt, perhaps

you've even got a degree in game design.

You've applied for a job and you've got an
interview.

Congratulations! And so…

How do you ace a design interview?

When you're interviewing for a design position,
employers are really looking for those two

skills I mentioned earlier - design thinking
and interpersonal skills.

For the latter, you'll get questions that
are all about judging your personality to

see if you have the right attitude, and will
fit the studio's existing culture.

So the interviewer wants to know if you're
a team player who can resolve conflict, and

adapt to someone else's vision.

Do you have good communication skills, including
confidence in pitching your ideas?

And are you resilient to feedback on your
work?

Don't be surprised if the employer dismantles
your portfolio pieces to see how you'll react

to criticism of your ideas.

For design thinking, the employer really wants
to know if you can think about games on a

deeper level than a typical fan or consumer.

Do you get how games work?

Do you understand how changes can impact on
other aspects of a game?

I've heard more than one studio ask candidates
"what would happen if you remove one of the

options in rock paper scissors?" to see how
they'd work through the problem, and show

that they understand game balance.

It's common to be asked about the games you've
been playing lately.

This isn't small talk - it's a chance for
you to show some analysis, criticism, and

understanding of design!

You can practice this by analysing, reviewing, and
breaking down the games you play - like some

kind of knock-off GMTK.

If you nail the interview, you may be given
a design test.

This is where you're asked to prove your design
skills - usually on paper, but perhaps in

a scripting tool or level design tool.

For a game design position you may be asked
to take an existing game and add a new mechanic,

or show how you would change some aspect of
the game.

For a level design test you may be asked to
plot out a map for a short level that includes

a new mechanic or an enemy encounter.

It will usually involve the studio's existing
games, so be familiar with their back catalogue.

These can be pretty stressful - especially
if you're asked to do it on-site at the studio,

and if it's under a time constraint.

So I've included a link to a great GDC talk
about what to expect from design tests, to

help you prepare.

Now, if you don't get the job - that sucks,
make sure you get some feedback so you can

improve in the future.

But if you do get the job, hooray!

You're in the industry!

And so the question to ask is…

Is game design a dream job?

If you follow gaming news at all, you'll definitely
have seen some headlines that might put you

off the games industry for good.

Working in game development involves crunch
- which is when you work extremely long hours

before major milestones.

Game studios frequently have mass lay-offs
or full-on studio closures.

Game designers may receive threats and abuse
online.

And there are even stories about sexual harassment
in the workplace.

And it's certainly true - game development
is volatile, extremely hard work, often thankless,

and not as diverse or as inclusive or as safe
as it needs to be.

But, when I posed these issues to people in
the industry, they told me that while these

problems exist, they should not discourage
you from joining the business, and that strides

are being made to improve these practices,
across the board.

You can also protect yourself, to some extent,
by carefully researching studios before taking

a job to see how you'll be treated.

Look to sites like Glassdoor, and talk to
former or existing employees.

Another challenge for game development is
that you may not have opportunities where

you live.

There are few game developers and even fewer
game design courses in places like India and

South America, for example.

So you may need to move around to get the
best jobs - but you could potentially get

experience in small studios where you currently
live.

But, then again, it's worth remembering that
you don't need to work at Ubisoft or Rockstar

to be a game designer.

The thousands of indie games released every
year are proof that individuals, tiny teams,

and small companies can put together games
without industry involvement.

And I promise you that the solo designers
of Axiom Verge, Stardew Valley, and Gunpoint

had way more creative control than the dude
working on Red Dead Redemption's horses.

That's not to say that this route is any easier
than getting hired.

And it's not a guarantee of making a living
wage let alone becoming a millionaire.

But, maybe this is how you want to be a game
designer?

For now… that's a whole other video.

So… hopefully that helps!

If you want to become a game designer you
should make stuff, do game jams, download

modding tools, practice your design thinking
skills, make friends and connections, and

maybe get started with a different role, or
study game design at school.

It's a difficult and competitive industry
to enter.

And it will be different for every company
on the planet - the advice in this video is

the best, most general advice I can provide
- but it's not going to apply 100% to every person.

It's also a job that's not without its challenges
and hardships.

But it can be a very rewarding career: you
won't just be playing games, you'll be helping

make the experiences that the next generation
of players will be obsessing over.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped me
with this video.

I couldn't have done it without Steve, Emma,
Peter, Sean, Vicky, Richard, James, Yasmin,

Nick, and so many more.

If you're a game designer in the industry
and have advice to share, please drop it in

the comments below and I'll pop a heart on
the best stuff.