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Game Designer Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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A 3554176video game4.44game designer4.0game tester3.54game developer3.17video game tester2.1339553538067.2521.0457.40HOURLY10235452025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Game Designer, or Narrative Designer, designs and manages all developmental and creative aspects of a video game, including the stories, settings, characters and rules. Their main duties include writing codes for video games using programming languages, testing and finding potential fixes for early versions of games and managing multiple project teams to build entertaining video games.

Game Designer Duties and Responsibilities

A Game Designer’s duties and responsibilities can vary depending on the exact position they hold. For example, a Content Designer may work with things such as character or plot development. A Lead Designer, though, would focus more on organizing the team’s ideas, creating design documentation and creating and enforcing a project calendar. Other Designers may oversee things such as programming game mechanics, designing levels or writing dialogue.

Regardless of the specific role, 3554176video game4.44game designer4.0game tester3.54game developer3.17video game tester2.1339553538067.2521.0457.40HOURLY10235452025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Game Designers have a few general responsibilities. These include:

  • Meeting deadlines for content and game builds
  • Ensuring the team stays on budget
  • Training new team members
  • Working with clients or businesses to define and execute their product goals
  • Leading regular meetings with other designers and team members

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Game Designer Job Description Examples

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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What Does A 3554176video game4.44game designer4.0game tester3.54game developer3.17video game tester2.1339553538067.2521.0457.40HOURLY10235452025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Game Designer Do?

Game Designers work for video game production companies building innovative products to either educate or entertain players. They build concepts for a game’s character and stories and pitch these ideas to executives or their clients if they work as an independent contractor.

Once the game idea is approved, they’ll collaborate with and lead teams of Artists, Animators, Sound Engineers and Programmers to build games audiences will enjoy. They’ll regularly test prototypes and provide notes to designers on ways to add fixes to the games they’re creating.

Game Designer Skills and Qualifications

Many Designers come from a background in video games, so they’ll have experience in areas like level design or programming. However, computer science skills aren’t essential. A good Designer may only need to understand the basics of the team’s preferred programming language. Other important skills and qualifications for a Game Designer include:

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Technical writing skills
  • Written and oral communication skills
  • Listening skills
  • Organization skills
  • Time management skills
  • Teamwork skills

3554176video game4.44game designer4.0game tester3.54game developer3.17video game tester2.1339553538067.2521.0457.40HOURLY10235452025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Game Designer Salary Expectations

According to salary estimates from over 400 Indeed users, employees and job postings, the average pay for Game Designers in the United States is approximately $11 per hour. This works out to roughly $23,000 per year for a full-time employee.

Game Designer Education and Training Requirements

Video 3554176video game4.44game designer4.0game tester3.54game developer3.17video game tester2.1339553538067.2521.0457.40HOURLY10235452025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Game Designers typically have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as computer engineering or computer programming. Candidates may also complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree in game design. While there are no industry standard certifications or training requirements for Game Designers, applicants may have technical certificates in certain programming languages or software applications.

While working on a bachelor’s or master’s degree, students will complete courses in computer literacy, design principles and design applications. It’s also common for Game Designers to develop a portfolio of work while they’re completing a degree. This portfolio should include several small games or game concepts, demonstrating their ability to craft ideas and complete projects.

3554176video game4.44game designer4.0game tester3.54game developer3.17video game tester2.1339553538067.2521.0457.40HOURLY10235452025-10-012025-10-312025-09-012025-09-302025-11-05Game Designer Experience Requirements

Game Designers typically have several years of experience in other video game roles. They may start out in quality assurance testing or programming and transition into design roles after gaining five years of experience or more. Candidates with design degrees, however, may find work right out of college. Designers with few years of experience may only oversee one aspect of a game’s design, such a level design or sound design.

Job Description Samples for Similar Positions

If you aren’t finding everything you’re looking for with this job description sample, expand your research to include a few similar roles. These are a few similar positions you can review to strengthen your job posting:

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Frequently asked questions about Game Designers

Three individuals are sitting at a table with a laptop, a disposable coffee cup, notebooks, and a phone visible. Two are facing each other, while the third’s back is to the camera. The setting appears to be a bright room with large windows.

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