Steps to a Lead Game Design job

slipsius

Not the typical "hey I went to school for game design and want to be a game designer" thread. I know you dont get those jobs straight out of school. You work up to them.

My question is, how do you become an actual designer? Not that Im looking to jump into that position or anything, I'm actually just curious. How do the people in these positions generally get there? Just work their way up in the company? Sit in on design meetings? Suggest good things for their current title at work? I have no idea.

Anyone have any insight? The wiki didnt really shed any light.

Mark Dygert

In the past we've had secondary projects spring up and those designers formed organically from inside the company. Our old creative director was decent at designing certain aspects of those games but had trouble with other aspects, he left to join a start up that played to his strengths. That project was kind of floundering around at that point burning through money. His second in command took over his role and later the project crashed and burned a few months later.

Those lessons lead to an intense grilling when we hired new designers for our core franchise.

1) Was a writer he wrote scripts and various articles. He came from "the outside" not just outside of our company but outside of our industry. It would a pretty rigorous interview process, it seemed like everyone got a chance to ask him questions and pick his brain when he was being hired. He works closely with so many people and it's such an important job, it was the only way we could be sure he was the right guy.

2) Also came in from outside the company but had games experience before. She is in charge of thinking up the outlines for the environments and characters, she oversees the general scope of the game and designs our puzzles. She is the queen of logic and the ultimate source of knowledge when we get tied up in our own traps. She keeps everything sorted in a wiki which is incredibly helpful and fluid. So pretty much she's the prefect mix of all the things we needed.

We've had brain storming sessions that last a few days and while everyone has some great ideas or flashes of brilliance no one internally really has the same qualities that these two have.