What Does a Game Designer Do? Roles, Responsibilities, and Career Paths

2. Gameplay Mechanics Design

As the concept of a new game begins to take shape, another critical aspect of Kade’s job is figuring out the game’s mechanics by:

• Developing rules, systems, and interactions that players will experience during gameplay.
• Balancing mechanics to create just the right amount of challenge while maintaining fairness.
• Prototyping gameplay to test functionality in early stages of development.

3. Storytelling and Narrative Design

Kade knows that a great video game should tell a compelling story that will keep players on their toes, so the next stages may include:

• Creating new storylines, character arcs, and dialogue.
• Collaborating with writers to weave narratives into gameplay organically.
• Ensuring consistency between a game’s story and its mechanics.

4. Level and World Design

Players in a video game want to feel immersed in an entirely different world. Kade can facilitate this by:

• Designing maps, environments, and missions that align with the gameplay experience.
• Focusing on pacing, player progression, and environmental storytelling.
• Using tools like Unity, Unreal Engine, or proprietary editors to create new levels and worlds from the ground up.

5. Collaboration with Development Teams

Game design is far from a solitary job. Fortunately, Kade enjoys working closely with others to bring their ideas to life by:

• Collaborating with programmers, artists, sound designers, and producers at various stages of the project.
• Translating creative concepts into clear design documents.
• Adapting design decisions based on technical constraints and other factors.

6. Playtesting and Iteration

Another central aspect of Kade’s job is playtesting and iteration, where they constantly strive for improvement by:

• Conducting user testing to analyze player behavior.
• Gathering feedback and adjusting mechanics or design elements.
• Continuously refining game elements for balance, accessibility, and overall user experience (UX).

7. Documentation

Working as a game designer doesn’t come without paperwork — but Kade understands the importance of documentation (and the frustrations that can accompany failure to maintain it). Some tasks that may need to be completed as a project progresses include:

• Writing detailed game design documents to outline visual mockups, game mechanics, features, and workflows.
• Updating concept documents as needed.

If you’re interested in becoming a game designer, part of the appeal of this field is its numerous niches to explore. For example:

• Systems designers focus on specific systems or components within a game, such as balancing enemy combat or in-game economies.
• Level designers create the playable spaces and maps within a video game.
• Narrative designers ensure the flow of a game’s story, dialogue, characters, and levels for an engaging experience.
• UI/UX designers focus on designing games that are accessible, easy to learn, and enjoyable to play.
• Combat designers are responsible for fighting interactions between players in a game, ensuring that the combat experience is fair and challenging.
• Monetization designers design and create the systems that allow a game to generate revenue (such as subscription platforms and microtransactions).