Game Designer (Systems)

Ludeon Studios
alert with exclamation point inside a cirle
This position has been closed.
No items found.
Posted
April 25, 2023
Full Time
Anywhere
Remote

We seek a game designer with a focus on systems design. This means writing design specifications, analyzing game systems in writing and spreadsheets, and other such tasks.

Please note: This is not a programming position.

Applicants should have done substantial written work in game systems design, ideally on released games. Student projects are not enough.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate their ability at written game design analysis. Games you’ve designed before, game designs you’ve written, or articles about game design are all relevant.

 

Core responsibilities:

  • Write game system specifications for implementation by developers.
  • Work with structured data formats like XML to implement and tune gameplay data like weapons, player tools, constructibles, animals, and so on.
  • Use analytical tools including spreadsheets, Monte Carlo simulation, debug tools, tester requests, and others to analyze game designs.
  • Review implemented features and specify improvements, cuts, and feature replacements.
  • Prioritize large lists of tasks to find the most valuable work.

 

Secondary responsibilities:

  • Coordinate developers, artists, audio experts, testers, and others to keep the project running smoothly and set everyone up for success.
  • Organize the project’s polish phase before release. Ensure that the details are handled, everything is high-quality, and nothing slips through the cracks.
  • Engage with the community to understand player desires. Adapt designs to service them while also retaining your own design intent.

 

Non-essential but useful cross-disciplinary skills:

  • You can read and write C# code enough to understand implementation details and talk to developers about them.
  • You’re skilled enough with image editing to make useful UI mockups.
  • You’re a good enough writer to write player-facing texts like quest descriptions, object descriptions, tutorials, and so on.
  • You can create pretty good art, or at least understand the elements of an aesthetically-pleasing image.
  • You can use data to implement visual effects like explosions, interaction particle effects, and so on.

 

When applying, please include written design specifications, analysis, articles, and any other relevant writing you have. Your ability to write clear and insightful texts about game design is critical.

 

To apply, just send us an email. In your message, please:

  • Say which role you’re interested in.
  • Include design writing samples: written design specifications, analysis, articles, or direct links to these. This should be primary design writing, not general descriptions of game projects.
  • Say where you’re located.
  • Include a traditional resume.
  • Be concise and focus on showing the things you’ve created. YouTube videos of your games, art, or projects are great starting points for this.
  • For programmers, please include links to code you’ve written. Bigger projects are best, especially if we can see whole projects and how they fit together.

We are based in Canada but can hire internationally. We generally start with a trial contract.

 

Ludeon’s mission is to make creatively-vivacious, original, provocative, and engaging games. Our team members come from diverse origins and hold many different beliefs. Please be ready to work on this mission with people who might think differently from you.

About 
Ludeon Studios

Ludeon Studios is an independent game developer and creator of the hit sci-fi colony management simulator RimWorld. We love deep PC games and story generators.

 

Why working with us is awesome

  • We have been fully remote since our founding in 2013.
  • We don’t crunch – ever. It’s never happened, not for one person, not for one day or for one hour.
  • There is no required time to be online. We collaborate asynchronously, so you can choose your own hours and days to work.
  • Your work will make people happy, and you’ll see that. Our team is small, so you’ll own specific things and see people engaging with them.
  • We work on games that explore novel ideas and new game design concepts. Every product tries to do something that has never been done before.
  • Our team is small, so there’s room to take on different kinds of tasks and to grow into new skills.
  • Our game community is full of knowledgeable, friendly, creative, thoughtful people.
  • Ludeon is wholly owned by Tynan Sylvester, a game creator. This means that unlike at investor-owned companies, our company strategy does not focus on boosting short-term growth metrics. Ludeon seeks to build long-term success by making creatively-rich products with a stable group of talented team members. At the end of it all, we want to be proud of what we’ve created and how we’ve treated team members and players.
Featured Game
s

RimWorld is a sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. Generate stories by simulating psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.

More Jobs at
Ludeon Studios
Recent
Game & Level Design
jobs
Thank you for joining! New issues are sent every Wednesday!
Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again.

You must be 18+ to view this job listing

Hey there! This job listing is for a role working on Adult Only games. As such, this listing may contain, reference, or link to sexual, explicit, and NSFW content.
By clicking “View Page” you affirm that you are at least 18 years old.