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Games design and level design jobs

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These games jobs were last updated on 10/02/09. If you are interested in any of them please quote the ref no(s) and send your CV to Ben.

US - Mid-West

This successful Illinois Studio has been creating quality games for over 14 years. Their world class development studio includes facilities to handle motion capture animation, audio production, state of the art technology, and world class visuals. Led by a team of veteran developers and having shipped over 75 titles to date, they truly are one of the most established and diverse developers in the Mid-West. We're seeking game designers experienced with 3D level editor tools, who can build solid, fun environments and scenarios for a game.

This position requires experience designing and completing levels, though that experience need not be commercial. You must be comfortable designing levels both from scratch and from a design document.

Major Responsibilities and Duties:
·Reports to Lead Designer or Design Director
·Work closely with Production, Art, and Development to define creative vision and feasibility
·Ability to work both independently and with other team members within deadline situations
·Plan projects and define priorities
·Be able to effectively manage multiple tasks
·Attend group meetings
·Responsible for creation of a large number of documents, including:
·Concept documents
·Design documents
·Functional specifications
·Game progression flow charts
·User interface navigation flow charts
·Sales documents
·Outline of all major content, including art, sound, and video requirements

Qualifications:
·3+ years of industry experience
·Extensive gaming knowledge a must.
-Working knowledge of a professional level design tool such as UnrealEd, Valve Hammer, etc.
·Strong communication skills including verbal and written skills are required.
·Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university; or three to five years related experience or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Chicago, IL $DOE

Contact: Yelena Ref: 123 10/02/09

US - Deep South

Our client are one of the premier developers of next generation console and PC titles in the Southwest. Having already established themselves with a solid line of successful game franchises, they’ve continued to expand and were recently named Game Informer's 'Developer of the Year.' With over 15 years in the industry, they have come to rely on their extensive game play experience and understanding of current game technology to produce the most original, engaging games possible. They are looking for a qualified Senior Game Designer for a new action racing title for Xbox360 and PS3.

Essential Job Functions:
- Crafts quality, fun designs, appropriate to genre, demographic, and platform
- Demonstrates a high level of creativity and innovation in computer and video
game design
- Effectively designs major game features within given constraints, including adjusting and adapting designs if necessary
- Writes thorough and complete feature documentation
- Works with the development team to ensure timely design buy-in
- Keeps members of the development team in the communication loop as designs evolve and are finalized
- May be called upon to creates, prioritizes, and manages schedules for self and for the team
- Has an understanding of various game construction aspects, such as the use of tools, scripting vs. event implementation, etc
- Writing background and/or creative writing experience not required, but strongly preferred

Required Experience and Skills:
- 5 - 8 years of game design experience desired
- Shipped at least two titles as designer or senior designer, from concept
through on the retail shelf
- Strong ability to create fresh, new designs or to enhance existing ones
- Bachelor´s (BA) degree from accredited four-year college or university or
equivalent experience.

Phoenix $HIGH + Excellent benefits

Contact: Yelena Ref: 829 10/02/09

US West Coast and Canada

This Southern California studio has one simple goal: make fun games that everyone will want to play. With that mission in mind, they understand making games is hard work and takes good talent. They encourage exploration of new ideas and promote working together to make the best possible gameplay experience. With one hit title already under their belt, and their next release expected to be even better, their hard work certainly seems to be paying off.
They are looking for a Designer who has shipped or is about to ship at least one high profile title.

Skills Required:
-Minimum 2 years design experience
-Good oral and written communication skills
-Able to focus and work without micro-management
-Ability to take direction and accept critical review of your work
-Clear understanding and appreciation of schedules and milestones
-Ability to design within existing game design and fiction to create new systems, missions, and minute-to-minute gameplay
-Passion for and broad knowledge of console games with an ability to critically analyze them

Responsibilities:
-Development of design documentation for mechanics, systems, and mission summaries
-Bring new ideas to the table in regards to every facet of the game; mechanics, story, missions, and more
-Work closely with the artists and programmers to take ideas from conception to implementation

Pluses:
-Understanding of basic programming or scripting languages (LUA, Perl, JavaScript, etc) a plus
-Maya experience.

Orange County, CA $DOE

Contact: Yelena Ref: 906 03/02/09