Important Info

• Job Title: Gameplay Balancer / Economy Designer (Spreadsheet Weirdo Wanted)
• Job Type: Contract
• Location: Remote
• Tags: Paid | Indie | Contract | Flexible Hours | No Bright Future

Hey. We’re Damage City Games.

We’re an irreverent indie game studio founded by artist/animator Sheldon Vella and music producer Ryan von Minus. Our current project, is a darkly comedic idle/strategy sim set in a warped 90s corporate hellscape, populated entirely by hamster-headed businesspeople who grind, sell, consume each other, and ascend the greasy ladder to the moon (literally).

It’s weird. It’s funny. It’s heavy on spreadsheet-driven systems, and we need help.

🧠 What We’re Looking For

We’re seeking a Gameplay Balancer / Economy Designer with experience in:

• Idle/incremental or simulation game balancing
• Designing scalable progression systems (cost, time, spawn rates, upgrades, etc.)
• Working directly with CSV data for tuning
• Building or refining formulas that feel rewarding, fair, and hilarious in equal measure
• Helping shape engaging feedback loops and long-term player motivation

📊 Your Role

• Review and help balance our current spreadsheets and variable systems
• Tune pacing and difficulty curves (start → mid → late game)
• Work closely with our game designer (who’s a bit overwhelmed!)
• Suggest improvements or rewrites of logic, if needed
• Ideally: Help design or document balance principles for future features

✅ Bonus Points If You...

• Have experience with idle games like AdVenture Capitalist or Cat Snack Bar
• Are a recovering game economist or systems nerd who enjoys tuning numbers in the dark
• Enjoy dark humor, satire, or absurdist game worlds
• Can communicate and iterate quickly via Discord and shared docs

💰 The Deal

• Paid contract (scope/rate negotiable based on experience and deliverables)
• Remote & async-friendly
• One-time balance pass or longer-term support — we’re flexible
• Credit in-game (and eternal glory in our hamster halls of power)

📬 How to Apply

Email us with:

• A short intro and relevant experience
• Any past work or games you’ve tuned
• Your availability and desired rate
• Subject: Gameplay Balancer – [Your Name]