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SENIOR STRATEGY GAME DESIGNER
Smoking Gun Interactive is looking for a talented, passionate individual with solid Strategy Game background
and experience to take on the role of Senior Game Designer on our next generation cross-platform original
content title. The ideal candidate is an expert in an area of strategy game design, able to deliver everything from
the design document to the implementation of a final-quality mechanic/gameplay mode/mission. They have
recent experience in strategy game development and possess a keen understanding of the challenges of
content creation, tuning and balancing. They are self-driven, striving to create an exceptional product but always
delivering to the schedule. The candidate has hands-on experience working on two or more AAA-quality titles.
The Senior Game Designer role requires an experienced and versatile individual who can lead by example and
mentor others to improve the overall quality of design. They have a strong literacy in game design and are able to
clearly and concisely communicate ideas in written and verbal form. The candidate has a flexible nature and a
desire to collaborate with art and programming teams to achieve results that everybody can be proud of. The
Senior Game Designer collaborates closely with the Lead Designer in realizing the vision of the project’s Creative
Director.
Responsibilities include:
- Collaborate with the Design and Creative Directors to develop and communicate the creative vision for the
project
- Collaboratively design, build, tune & document gameplay modes & mechanics to achieve project goals
- Design and build gameplay features to final quality from documentation to implementation
- Assist in review and risk-management of milestone and project goals
- Oversee a small design team creating AAA-quality gameplay in strategy game mechanics
- Mentor and share knowledge in the skills development of the design team
- Assist in hiring additional members of the design team
Qualifications:
- 5+ years experience as a game designer, having shipped 2 or more AAA-quality titles in strategy genre
- Shipped at least 1 AAA game as a senior game designer
- Demonstrable understanding and expertise in game mode mechanics, stats and design of complex
mathematical systems
- Comfortable using 3D software package (Max, Maya) or game editor (Unreal, Source, Radiant)
- Experience with game scripting systems such as Lua and/or Python
- Experienced with Word, Excel, Photoshop
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to communicate ideas clearly
- Self-driven, taking initiative when needed, with strong organizational skills
- Exceptional creativity and willingness to push the envelope and innovate within game parameters
- Ability to accept and provide direction, work well under pressure, and handle multiple tasks
- Passionate about gaming and striving to improve the quality of games
- Acts on constructive feedback positively, to deliver even cooler, high-quality results
- Positive attitude and a great team-player
Assets:
- Prior experience managing a group of designers (4+)
- Recent experience in developing AAA strategy games
- Experience with console development on Xbox 360 or PS3
- Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience
- Demonstrable experience in contributing disciplines (ie, board game design, scripting)