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Creative job · Digital & interactive
Game designer
Game designers don't design graphics — they design feelings. The jump that feels just right, the choice that haunts you. Rules are their paint.
What do they actually do?
A game designer designs the rules that create the fun. On a typical week they might:
Prototype mechanics
Balance systems and economies
Playtest and iterate
Write design documentation
Argue productively with engineers
In one sentence: they design the rules that create the fun.
The part nobody tells you
Players never read your design doc. They feel it — in the first three seconds of holding the controller.
You'll probably love it if…
You analyse why games are fun
You prototype obsessively
You accept being wrong fast
You think in systems
You watch people play
You may struggle if…
You defend ideas against data
You dislike iteration
You need solo credit
You skip playtesting
The skills that actually matter
Hard skills
Systems design
Prototyping (engines, paper)
Game economy
Soft skills
Systems thinking
Humility
Communication
Career path
QA tester
↓
Junior game designer
↓
Game designer
↓
Lead designer
↓
Creative director
Or…
Level designer
Narrative designer
Indie founder
Salary snapshot
FranceJunior
€28K–35K
Mid-level
€38K–55K
Senior
€58K–90K
Freelance
€300–800 /day
People doing it brilliantly
Rémi Caron
Montréal
Yuki Tanaka
Kyoto
Sara Lindqvist
Stockholm
Projects you could work on
Indie games
AAA productions
Mobile games
Serious games
XR experiences
Live events