The Four Types of Video Game Designers - Game Design Specializations - Extra Credits

If your interest in game design brought you to our channel, chances are you're curious about how games are made. But what if you've decided you want to make a game yourself or even plan to take the leap and make game design your full-time gig? What does that look like for you exactly? Because as Jeff, our studio director and resident game designer, will tell you, not all game design skill sets are the same. So when you're thinking about your future career, it's important to ask, what kind of game designer do you want to be? Thanks so much to NordVPN for sponsoring today's episode. To take control of your internet security, get a huge discount on a two-year plan, and get one month free, use code extra credits at nordvpn.com/extracredits. Here's a fun industry fact. Teams don't usually need a generic game designer. Instead, they need someone to do things like balance game systems, write dialogue, or layout game space. Complicating this further, the actual job titles for the people needed are not as standard as other industries such as

film and television. So to avoid confusion here, we're going to be talking about four specific skill sets and not job titles, with the goal of helping you discover what kind of game designer you are or want to be. Now, let's jump in. When making characters for a game, do you make sure they all have elaborate 11-page backstories? Do you have two unfinished novels and plans for three more? What about when you're planning campaigns? Have you mapped out all the content and written the histories of all major kingdoms, thought out multiple story arcs, and have hundreds of note cards with prominent NPC information ready to go? Then I think it's safe to say you might be a content designer. Content designers are game designers who focus on creating the story, lore, and often mission content in games. They have strong creative writing skills, but more importantly, they have the ability to take on the Herculean task of being creative consistently and on a schedule. Because you could be the most brilliant writer since George R.R. Martin, but if you can't deliver on a schedule, HBO ruins your story, and you get the idea. Typical responsibilities for a content

designer include developing the game's high-concept story, history, and lore. Creating quests and missions with the game's tool set. Crafting NPCs and fleshing out their backstories. And writing dialogue, item descriptions, flavor text, etc. Also, in case you were wondering, dedicated video game writers are indeed a type of content designer. So, on a CCG, for example, content designers spend a lot of time working on the overall lore of each set and on the character of each individual card. They're the ones that transform a card's in-game effect into a distinct identity through theme, card name, art or animation requirements, and flavor text. For an RPG, content designers over-index on the creation of quests, NPCs, dialogue, and equipment. And for more narrative games, they're usually tasked with creating the story, plot, and subplots, constructing dialogue trees, and filling out mission journals. But what if you thrive in places like Fortnite's creative mode? Or enjoy teaching friends tips and tricks in games like Super Mario Maker and Little Big Planet? Maybe you've even dabbled a

little bit with Source engine games for their authoring tools and upload custom levels for the community? Then you, my friend, are probably a level designer. Level designers are the game designers who focus on conceptualizing play space and laying out environments optimized for the needs of the game. Most have technical art skills, although that's not always necessary. In fact, in some studios, level designers lay out the game's needs, and then an art team builds the in-game environments. But it's the level designer who focuses on the strategic, tactical, and gameplay aspects of the world they're building. Playing a shooter game? Well, it was the level designer who mapped out each area, clocked the sprint time to choke points, determined the amount of cover, set spawn locations, and carved out each sniper ledge and back alley shortcut. Or that platformer you like? Every jump, environmental hazard, spatial puzzle, and movement challenge were all planned by the level designer. And in MOBAs, a level designer created the map that dictates the flow of the game. Planned lanes, areas of engagement, gank routes, safe zones, dangerous jungle paths, base

sieges, and contested areas. These are the types of things that level designers really get excited about. Though, what if what excites you about game design rests somewhere else? Do you give players in your RPG campaign multi-page house rule mechanic supplements? Did you learn combinatoric math to better understand Warhammer 40K's dice probability and craft a spreadsheet for your army to optimize weapons efficiency? Or make another spreadsheet analyzing weight versus heat weapon effectiveness for the Roguetech Battletech mod? Or a another spreadsheet optimizing your bard's per level control spell choice sorted by concentration and save type? What? Really, Jeff? This is what you do for fun? All right, not going to yuck your yum. Then you, like Jeff, are probably a systems designer. Systems designers are game designers who specialize in building and balancing systems and mechanics. They're the spreadsheet wizards who enjoy taking things apart, tinkering, and putting them back together. Most have strong math skills for balancing and strong communication skills since they over index on writing design documentation. In an RPG or looter shooter, systems

designers build and balance the game's economy, combat, trade skills, monster statistics, treasure tables, class abilities, etc. And while they might not build the missions, encounters, quests, or equipment themselves, they're probably going to be the ones who balance them. In an RTS, systems designers balance the value of every unit, ability, building, and upgrade and maintain the master spreadsheet showing how they all interact. Whereas in racing games, they determine the efficiency of every chassis, engine, tire, and other component. And in CCGs, they design new mechanics and balance every card. Truly, systems designers are the kings among all types of designers. No, no, Jeff, I'm not going to keep doing this. We have to treat all of our children equally. Okay? Great. Let's finish things off with experience designers. Have you ever noticed when a rumbling controller perfectly replicates the idle of a car or tinkered for hours with your smartphone to get the exact right level of audio and tactile feedback? Maybe even modded a game just to play with car drift physics or weapons kick? Yeah,

sounds like you might be an experience designer. Experience designers specialize in the responsiveness, feedback, and the general feel of a game's controls and of elements within them like various weapons and vehicles. Also, it should be noted that dedicated experience designers are also the rarest type of designer. Evolving from a development task into a recognized skill set as team sizes have expanded. For instance, take jumping in a platformer. An experience designer truly gets into the nitty-gritty of manufacturing that specific jumping experience, fine-tuning the initial upward angle and velocity, playing with mid-arc hangtime, and tinkering with the rate and tilt of downward descent all to better sell the fantasy that that specific game is trying to convey. You know when the driving controls or momentum of a vehicle's response feels just right? Or how about when combat makes you feel like a finely choreographed crime fighter? Or even when just your avatar's movement through the game's environment is so amazing that it steals the show? These are all great examples of experience design at work. We hope that

as you begin your journey into game design that our discussion of these four types of game designers inspires you to ponder what type of skills you're passionate about and what type of game designer you want to be. Because each genre has different requirements that leverage a game designer's skills in different ways. And of course, not every game needs every type of designer. Also, we should mention that it's possible that you could be strong in more than one of these skill sets or maybe you're just hyper-focused into a specialty. But at the end of the day, it really is about identifying where your interest lie that's important to finding your space in the industry. So, did you find this discussion helpful? Is there a type of game designer we missed? Or would you like a more in-depth future episode on any specific type of game designers? Let us know in the comments below because I can guarantee that Jeff is chomping at the bit to do more of these. Later, everyone. Once again, thanks so much to NordVPN for sponsoring this episode. If you're looking to protect your online activity from prying internet eyes, then you've got to give NordVPN a try. With thousands of servers in over 60 countries, military-grade onion over

encryption technology, and a user-friendly lightweight Chrome extension, you could be browsing securely in seconds. Plus, if you act now and use the code extra credits at nordvpn.com/extracredits, you'll get a huge discount on a 2-year plan with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you'll receive a extra month of double encrypted protection absolutely free. So, secure your online self with NordVPN and never be scared about your internet security again. A most legendary thanks to Ahmet Ziyad Türk, Gunnar Clovis, Alicia Bramble, Kyle Murgatroyd, Casey Musgraves, Orioles One, and Dominic Valenciana for helping make this show possible.