Game Designer Resume Example | Resume Tips + Templates and More
Just as fun and interesting as gaming is, designing games is too. However, landing on your dream job as a game designer is quite difficult in today’s times. When looking for a job in the field of game designing either as a fresher or as a professional, a strong and impactful game designer resume in hand is as important as our guidelines are to your resume.
Othneil Sarkozy Game Designer othneil.sarkozy@gmail.com 609-440-9978
Professional Summary
Talented and communicative game designer with 6+ years of experience in a creative yet deadline-driven environment. Eager to join The Rock Studios to help manage the design of gameplay systems and online mechanics. In previous roles designed and co-wrote 5 AAA titles and created more than 200 levels within the action-RPG game area.
ExperienceGame Designer
NextGen Games, Los Angeles, CA 2016–2018
Designed and drove the vision and implementation of features and game systems.
Developed ideas for gameplay throughout the player's lifecycle.
Worked within existing systems and expanded them, including integrating feedback from UX testing.
Partnered with other teams to consider the game design and player engagement targets.
Created and tuned content to create accessible but deep experiences for players.
Key achievements:
Designed and co-wrote 5 AAA-released game titles.
Improved player success rate by 150% as a result of close collaboration with the UX team and developing a set of measurable tests and questionnaires.
Gameplay Designer
Q2 BFG, Los Angeles, CA 2013–2016
Built gameplay scenarios in various styles and for different purposes.
Created gameplay moments, including narrative events, combat encounters, and points of interest within the game world.
Collaborated with partner teams to ensure a cohesive and coherent scenario experience.
Worked with engineers on developing and maintaining scenario building functionality that redefined design boundaries.
Authored and reviewed design documentation.
Key achievement:
Developed a data-gathering method for game balancing and tuning.
Created over 200 levels for various Sci-Fi and Fantasy Action-RPG games.
Education
MS, Computer Science/Game Design University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts 2013
According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a game designer in the United States is around $74,000/ year. You can also check this out: Game Designer Salary.
On the other hand, according to GameDesigning, the average for junior game designers in the United States is over $61,000/year.
With the gaming industry developing rapidly, especially in the United States, the pay scale of a game designer is pretty good.
How To Make a Resume for Game Design from Zero
The key idea behind writing a resume is knowing what skills the employer is looking for.
That can be creativity, analytical thinking or being an avid gamer. Next time you see a job ad for a game designer, you better start listing your skills and researching what the employer is looking for.
Mentioning your previous game designer experience is a sure-shot bonus. But remember to highlight the relevant skills.
Even if you have no previous experience and are fresher, you need not worry. Instead of the experience, you can always mention the game designing skills you possess.
The hiring manager is not usually known for spending too much time drooling over a single game designer resume, so it’s for our best that we give them exactly what they are looking for.
The Layout For This Resume
Creating a perfect game designer resume means having a clear and understandable layout. The first step to having a clean and presentable resume is having headings and subheadings.
I highly recommend this layout for your Game Designer Resume.
Name and contact information.
Professional summary statement/ objective summary.
Work history.
Education.
Skills.
Additional sections.
The order can be changed based on your strengths.
The Format & Sructure
The format of any resume can be divided into 3 main categories:
Functional or skill-based resume: This type of resume includes focusing on your skills and strengths that are important to the employers. Specific dates, names, and places are omitted here.
Reverse Chronological resume: Your work history, education, and all your previous experiences of projects are listed in reverse chronological order which means starting with your current and most recent job then going backward.
Hybrid (Combination resume): This type of resume involves blending the flexibility and the strengths of the above two format types. This gives both the applicant and employer a clear understanding.
Generally speaking, I firmly recommend you to use the Reverse Chronological Format, as most employers are familiar with this format. The plus side of this format of a resume is that it lists your latest experiences first hence making it easy for employers to review your skills easily.
Below are a few most essential points that you should never overlook while creating your perfect game designer resume.
Keep the resume to a single page
Nobody likes to read a resume filled with grammatical errors. (use a spellchecker to check).
Send the resume as a PDF or MS Word file as per the job description.
Be consistent in using margins and fonts throughout the resume.
Let’s get straight into the layout of our game designing resume. If you want to skip reading, check out our ready to use Game Designer Resume Templates.
How to Write the Header
The header is the most important part of your resume, in which you can not afford to make any mistake. It generally includes your name followed by your contact details. As the header is the first thing an employer’s eyes would fall on, making a mistake there is accepting that now you are bummed out.
Good Header Vs. Bad Header
Now just as important it is to have a flawless header, so is to have a perfect one. Let’s see an example of a good and a bad header:
CORRECT
Lily Cooper
Game Designer
cooper.lily.23@gmail.com
+1 247 56 03 87
INCORRECT
Game Designer
Lily Cooper
lilycooperforfacebook@gmail.com
+1 247 56 03 87
78, main street, apt 9,
Washington DC
USA
On comparing the examples listed above, you will notice that though they do not have any major differences, they are very different from each other.
Here is everything you need to keep in mind while writing a good resume header:
Your resume has to begin with your name
Followed by a professional-looking email address.
Lastly, never mention your complete address unless the employer has asked you for it.
Experience: Show Your Experience in Game Design
The experience section boosts your resume level incredibly. It shows off your capabilities as well as gives them a good insight depending on the work you’ve done before and the relevant skills that came into use for the same.
Presenting your experience correctly can always land you on your dream job of becoming a game designer.
If you’re a senior game designer, then getting a game designing job won’t be an issue for you, but you can still get the job even if you don't have any experience. How? Lets’ see.
Well, experience does add a lot of value to your resume, but it's the skills that are the golden key to getting the job. Even if you have no previous experience as a game designer or game developer, it is fine. You can still mention all the technical skills as well as relevant skills to the job offer, you possess.
Always remember, it’s not about the experience you have, it is about the way you put it together on your resume.
For Entry-Level and Junior Video Game Designers
If you’re new to the gaming industry, you need not worry, follow the example below to show your experience and skills masterfully:
Local Computer Retailer
October 05 to Present
Received cash, credit, and check payments.
Issued receipts, refunds, and changes.
Dealt with problems promptly for priority customers.
Maintained leadership when management was not present
Keep the work environment clean and organized.
Developed new strategies to increase productivity.
Provided technical troubleshooting and repairs.
It’s okay to not have any work experience, but it’s not to leave that section empty. Even if you have no previous work experience, it’s advisable to add to any other relevant experience you have that relates to the game industry, the video games industry, or the IT sector.
Tip: Think about other responsibilities, such as game testing, knowing programming languages, game balancing, known to the released game titles, communication skills, deep understanding of the game industry, analytical thinking, and working in unison with all the team members.
Also, it’s always best to display your experience in bullet points.
For Senior Game Designers
As I mentioned before, presenting your previous relevant experience is way more important than having one. Sometimes, even if you are a senior game designer, you may not know how to display your experience as in a game design resume perfectly.
Take a look at the example below.
Lead Game Designer
CD Projekt, Warsaw, Poland
December 2015–Present
Supervise 50+ designers and developers on the Cyberpunk 2077 project by establishing consistency, gameplay requirements, and location compatibility
Use inhouse REDEngine tool to complete over 25+ worldbuilding projects and refine 75+ gameplay location components for The Witcher 2 project
Work closely with other Cyberpunk designers by merging and introducing RPG mechanics including guns, netrunning, and skill trees
Describe your skills that came under operation during your working experience. Such skills can greatly help you create a winning resume.
Education
Becoming a game designer doesn’t mean you need to have an academic background in game design. In fact, only 23% of game designers have an academic background in this area. Take a look at the pie chart:
Putting education on a resume might be as easy as a pie for some people. Yet, some may face difficulties while doing the same.
If you are writing an academic resume, the work experience should be followed by the education and if it is a professional resume, then vice-versa.
Any extensive experience during your study period can be added too. And never forget to add your key achievements.
Now, if you are a student, the best advisable option is to list
Your most recent degree [eg. computer engineering]
The name of your school
Location of your school
Your field of study and degree major
Your GPA
Take a look at the following example
Digipen Institute of Technology, Redmond, Washington
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Game Design, 2006 - 2010
Honors: cum laude (GPA: 3.8/4.0)
Top Skills for a Game Designer Resume
To hand the employer a winning game design resume, it’s very important to focus on the skills section of a resume. This is the main sector, where the decision of employment lies.
Here are some skills that could be used in a game designer resume:
Soft Skills
Management
Verbal communication skills
Comfortable with a deadline-driven environment
Analytical skills
Teamwork skills
Critical thinking
Decision making
Leadership
Problem-solving
Time management
Organizational skills
Progressive thinking
Hard Skills
3D art packages (Maya, 3DS Max)
Content creation
Creativity
Documentation writing
Game engines (Unreal, Unity)
Game platforms
Game systems
Level building tools
Online play models
Scripting experience
Scripting languages (Blueprints, Python, Lua, C/C++)
Programming languages
Programming team
Development team
Microsoft excel
Video game design
MS Word
Professional Summary for a Game Designer
I have observed many times that the summary section in a resume is usually proved to be the most difficult section for candidates while creating their resume.
If you are one of them, don’t worry, I will give you the exact steps on how to write a compelling resume summary for your a neat game design resume.
Let’s see the how and how not to write a professional summary for a game designer's resume.
CORRECT
Imaginative, highly analytical, and team-minded Game Designer with 10+ years of experience working on long-term, large-scale projects at Rockstar Games and Activision Blizzard. Fluent in 3ds Max and Maya. Passionate about innovative storytelling, scripting, and level design. Possess a BA in Computer Science and Game Design. Looking to leverage my design-thinking skills and programming experience into a role as a Level Designer for [Company Name].
INCORRECT
Experienced Game Designer looking forward to working with a well-reputed company like [Company Name]. I have great game designing skills.
As you can differentiate between the above two summary examples, we can see how nicely the first one gives us a clear idea about the candidate and his experience, while the second one seems abrupt, incomplete and informal.
Here’s a simple framework to try when you write your next professional summary.
1st sentence: describe yourself using a single adjective + Your current position + years of experience
2nd sentence: responsibilities in your previous/ current position + software/tools you employed + results you achieved in numbers + Why you are eager to be a part of this new role
Professional Objective for Game Designers
You can write a professional objective if you're applying for your first job in Game Design or if you're in a career change. The difference is that, instead of writing about your previous accomplishments, you should emphasize your passion and enthusiasm for the current job.
As an eager aspirant in the video game world, I can assure you of the needful skills I hold and my power to grasp things quickly as well. In addition, I am quite positive about the work exposure [Company Name] will provide me with. Being the best company in the industry, I am looking forward to working with you.
Additional Sections to Reinforce Your Game Design Resume
Additional sections play an important role in your resume especially when your experience section is not strong enough to get you the job interview.
Moreover, if you have a special skill or certificate that you need to highlight to the recruiter, this section would be great.
The main sections would be computer skills, interests, and languages.
Computing Skills & Certifications
Write down any skills you have related to game mechanics, game systems, and instructional design. This can be a major booster and attract employers as well. List all the relevant certificates you hold.
Languages
Being fluent in multiple languages can make you quite versatile and even increase your chances of getting hired.
Remember to highlight all the languages you speak and your level of fluency.
Interests
Here, you can include your interests that are relevant to the job offer. If that’s not the case, you can leave them out and use that space to emphasize skills or achievements.
Tips to Boost Your Resume
If you have read the article up to this point, you already know how to write your next game designer or video game designer resume 10 times better than the average resume. However, we still have some additional tips to level up your application:
Use a grammar checking tool to check for mistakes you might not notice even during proofreading.
Use more numbers in your summary statement and the experience sections. Numbers add credibility to your statements.
Use a clean and modern resume format. The first impression of your resume matters as much as the content.
Summary: Craft a Powerful Resume for Game Design
Start your resume with your name followed by the contact details.
Write the experience section or professional summary.
Keep the professional summary/ objective summary to two sentences.
Write the experience section with more numbers and proof. Focus on the results.
Use a consistent format to write your education qualifications.
Give the hiring managers a pleasant surprise with the additional sections.
Complement Your Game Designer Resume with A Cover Letter
Cover letters are an excellent method to demonstrate your excitement for a position. This is your pre-interview sales pitch.
Cover letters can be quite useful for those with little experience but a strong desire to work for a company.
The final necessity for Game Designing Companies is a creative and innovative game design or video game design idea.
The following companies are the best and highest paying game development companies in the world:
NineHertz
iTechArt
Zero Games Studio
Electronic Arts
Nintendo
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Activision Blizzard
Epic Games
Gameloft
How is the hiring process for game designers?
Becoming a game designer is just as hard as getting into any other career, but with added competition and the need to be constantly fresh and relevant. However, by applying yourself and keeping your long-term goals in mind, it can be a rewarding and fulfilling career as easy to progress through as anything.
Check Our Best Resume Templates for Game Designers
CORRECT
INCORRECT
