Game designer

As a game designer, you'll come up with ideas, stories, and characters for games on a range of platforms, including consoles, PCs, virtual and augmented reality, and mobiles. You'll use technical and creative skills to imagine, test, and develop ideas you've conceived yourself or that have been pre-approved, such as a video game based on a film.

Within your design, you'll need to consider the mechanics (the rules of how the game works within its story), whether it can be easily expanded and maintained, and whether it's comfortable and fun to use.

Game designers work as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes game developers, programmers, game artists, animators and quality assurance (QA) testers.

Although game design is usually a clearly defined job role, in smaller companies, you may get involved in some of the art or programming elements. Subfields also include level designer, content designer, and interface designer.

What does a game designer do?

As a game designer, you'll need to:

• use your creativity to design games for a range of devices and platforms that engage and capture the imagination of the player
• consider, plan, and detail every element, including the setting, rules, story flow, props, vehicles, character interface, and modes of play
• put together a concept document and use this to convince the development team that the game is worth proceeding with
• conduct market research to understand what your target audience wants
• transform a rough idea into a detailed concept and then begin implementing it by writing scripts and designing storyboards
• work collaboratively with developers, artists, and programmers to produce a prototype which is a small-scale, yet still playable, version of the finished product
• make adjustments to the game design specifications to reflect developments as the project moves forward
• train quality assurance testers to play the game so they can test it properly
• lead on the user experience (UX) design of the game, ensuring players have the best experience
• work alone or within a larger team overseen by a lead designer.

How much does a game designer earn?

• Salaries for entry-level positions, such as a junior or intern, can range from £18,000 to £32,000.
• With experience, game designers in the UK can earn between £41,000 and £47,000.
• As a senior game designer, it's possible to earn over £50,000.

There are alternative ways to get into the gaming industry, such as through quality assurance or tester roles, where you can earn an average of £25,000. Likewise, level designers can earn up to £37,000, depending on their experience.

Salaries vary depending on a range of factors, such as your skills and experience, the size of company you work for, the type of game you work on, and location. Benefits, especially within larger companies or studios, can include access to games rooms, fitness/gym memberships, private healthcare, and store discounts.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Typical working hours for a game designer

You'll typically work between 30 and 40 hours per week on average, though this can be much more. As such, it's likely you'll need to work weekends and evenings as a deadline (known as 'crunch time') approaches. The majority of game designers are employed full time, with a small number being self-employed or working part time.

The work is largely studio based within multidisciplinary teams of other developers, artists, and technical staff. Many game companies operate in London and the South East, though there are major tech hub spots in places like Brighton and Leamington Spa.

How do I become a game designer?

Although you don't need a degree to become a game designer, the majority of people working within the industry are graduates. Games-specific qualifications are particularly useful, and relevant subjects include:

• animation
• computer games art/design
• computer games development/technology
• computer science
• interactive media
• mathematics.

The Independent Games Developers' Association (TIGA) accredits a number of games courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Science, technology, and engineering subjects are helpful as well, but you can also enter with a social sciences, arts, or humanities degree. Employers are usually looking for relevant games experience and knowledge, which can be built up outside of your studies.

In order to be able to demonstrate your skills in game design, you'll need to create an online portfolio of projects you've completed. This can then be used in interviews or sent with speculative applications to preferred employers.

You'll also need to be up-to-date with current gaming trends across all platforms and enjoy playing them as much as making them.

If you don't have a degree, you could take a Level 3 Diploma/Extended Diploma in Games, Animation, and VFX. You can also do a higher apprenticeship, which allows you to complete your learning while you work.

Although having a postgraduate qualification isn't essential, it might be useful to help develop your skills, especially if your first degree doesn't involve a video games element. Research courses carefully to make sure they match your career aims. Search postgraduate courses in game design.

What skills does a game designer need?

You'll need to have:

• technical ability, in particular, familiarisation with a range of programming languages, such as C#, C++, and Python, as well as knowledge of scripting for use in popular engine software, including Unreal and Unity.
• a passion for gaming and an understanding of the different hardware platforms available for games, showcasing your ability to come up with innovative ideas
• communication skills, both verbal and written, to put your ideas across to other members of the team, which includes being able to collaborate with people with different skillsets
• a willingness and aptitude to learn new technical skills, such as version control software
• organisation and project management skills, including familiarity with Agile development and Scrum
• confidence and influencing skills to present your ideas and pitch for funding
• problem-solving skills, including mathematical and analytical understanding.

Work experience in game design

Competition for game designer roles is fierce, so it's essential that you get relevant work experience. Ideally, this should be with both free-to-play (F2P) and premium, or AAA, games across a range of platforms.

One way of building up experience is to participate in 'game jams'. The aim of these is for groups to collaborate, design, and create a game in a short space of time, usually over one or two days. These provide an excellent opportunity to showcase your skills, build your portfolio, and network with others. You can find game jams listed on sites such as itch.io and Indie Game Jams. Some famous games that came from these jams include Goat Simulator, Loop Hero, and Superhot.

You could try applying for an internship or placement with a games company during or after your degree. Game design internship opportunities are occasionally advertised, but applications for these are fierce.

You could also apply to take part in the Rising Star and Search for a Star annual challenges, which are run by the outreach programme Grads in Games. These aim to simulate aspects of games industry recruitment and provide opportunities to create technical projects and finished assets, which can then be used in your portfolio. Feedback on your work is available from games professionals, and high achievers are invited to take part in an interview with industry leaders.

However you do it, the best experience is to actually design your own game by putting together the storyboard, prototype, and demo. You can then place this on your portfolio. It's important for prospective employers to be able to try out your work, so ensure the demo can be downloaded or, at the very least, make sure video footage is available.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Who employs game designers?

Most employers are small independent games studios. However, there are opportunities within multinational outfits and organisations based in the UK. Employment with these companies can open up potential to work abroad.

Although self-employment and freelance roles are rare, with experience, you may be able to work as a game design consultant.

Video games are now being widely used across a range of industries, including healthcare, fitness, and education. This means there may also be opportunities within:

• advertising firms
• broadcasting companies
• computing and electronics organisations
• creative agencies
• education providers and education resource suppliers
• esports associations
• event organisers
• hardware and software distributors
• PR, communications and marketing firms
• software developers
• trade and retail organisations.

Look for job vacancies at:

• GameJobs
• Gamesindustry.biz
• Games Jobs Direct
• MCV Jobs
• TIGA

Student membership of Ukie (UK Interactive Entertainment) provides access to paid placements and internships, as well as CV and careers advice, industry guides, and industry news.

Most employers will welcome speculative applications. See Ukie Members List for a list of games-related organisations, including studios and those who sell games or provide services or support. Vacancies are also advertised on LinkedIn.

A small number of specialist employment agencies advertise roles, such as Aardvark Swift, which also has a dedicated graduate recruitment section that helps students get their first job. Other recruitment consultancies include Amiqus and Datascope.

Where can a career in game design lead?

You'll typically start in a graduate or intern quality assurance tester role. QA positions involve testing applications and games to locate and report issues across different hardware platforms. They provide good experience in how the company operates and how a game is made.

You can then move into either a level design or game design role. Promotion is usually gained through experience and will depend, to a certain extent, on the size of the organisation, as well as how fast you can learn new skills.

With your first game design role, you'll receive support from more experienced colleagues, including the opportunity to shadow them. As you get more experience, you'll usually be responsible for managing your own professional development.

After several years of experience, successful game designers can progress onto senior and lead designer roles. Lead designer is generally more of a management role, involving fewer creative elements. Specialising in areas such as mobile gaming or virtual reality can help increase your job prospects.

If you wish to move on from game design, you could consider becoming a game design consultant or lecturer. You could also move into other areas of interactive media and entertainment. Alternatively, you could consider setting up your own independent game studio.

As the games design industry is fast-moving, it's essential that you keep your technical skills and knowledge up-to-date. This can be done through in-house training, completing short courses, and developing your own bank of skills through self-study. Attending events and networking can also form an important part of your development.

Ukie is the trade body for the UK games industry, providing events, training, and workshops that can help you in your career.

You can also study at postgraduate level to develop your skills in a specialist area. Courses are available in areas such as games design, digital experience design, independent games, and UX design, as well as games enterprise.