Game Design - Game Designer

Game Designer

A game designer is a person who designs gameplay, conceiving and designing the rules and structure of a game. Many designers start their career in testing departments, where mistakes by others can be seen first-hand.

• Lead designer coordinates the work of other designers and is the main visionary of the game. Lead designer ensures team communication, makes large design decisions, and presents design outside of the team. Often the lead designer is technically and artistically astute. Keeping well-presented documentation also falls within the lead designer responsibilities. Lead designer may be the founder of a game development company or may be sent by the publisher, if the game's concept is provided by the publisher.

• Game mechanics designer or systems designer designs and balances the game's rules.

• Level designer or environment designer is a position becoming prominent in the recent years. Level designer is the person responsible for creating game environment, levels, and missions.

• Writer is a person often employed part-time to conceive game's narrative, dialogue, commentary, cutscene narrative, journals, video game packaging content, hint system, etc. It is the responsibility of the writer to collaborate with primary designers to seamlessly place this content into the game, creating immersion, avoiding repetition, providing feedback, etc. Writing for games involves a different set of skills from those for traditional works, such as novels or screenplays, as the writer must collaborate with the other designers during the writing process.