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Bluetracker

Tracks Blizzard employees across various accounts.

Are we getting a new game 'designer'?

On the Blizzard website under 'Jobs' there's a position for 'Lead game Designer.'. For heroes of the storm.

  • BlizzTravis
    Posted 7 years, 2 months ago (Source)

    Not to sound cliche, but just "do it". Study, expirement at home, everyone has to start from somewhere, and a general curiosity and discipline will get there a long ways!

    This is the real answer. There are university courses these days that are great, but the key to the good ones are that they have you hands-on creating games from scratch. There's no substitute to the experience of just doing something, failing, and learning from it.

    Beyond that, the best answer I ever heard to "what do I need to do to become a great game designer" is "experience life and absorb knowledge". You'll often hear people talk about studying other games and there's definitely value there, but game design touches on many different aspects of life and if all you're doing is looking at other games, that's myopic.

    For reference, I went to college for Aerospace Engineering and that math/science background was great, but my upbringing as a military kid who moved around the world every 3 years allowed me an appreciation of different cultures and gave me access to a wide breadth of knowledge that has been invaluable as well.

  • BlizzTravis
    Posted 7 years, 2 months ago (Source)

    Sounds like you didnt choose the game dev life, the game dev life chose you 😄

    It's funny. As a kid, I used to program games for myself and my friends, but it never occurred to me that you could do that as a job. I grew up in the air force and was always fascinated by planes, so went the Aerospace route. It wasn't until I was at college and most of my friends were CS majors that it all clicked.

  • BlizzClaudio
    Posted 7 years, 2 months ago (Source)

    The best way to get hired is to know someone. Do blizz employees have a secret hide out? Where are they all!

    Irvine, basically at any Korean BBQ joint! =P

  • BlizzClaudio
    Posted 7 years, 2 months ago (Source)

    The link to the job is here btw:

    https://careers.blizzard.com/en-us/openings/oDqV4fwM

    LEAD GAME DESIGNER, SYSTEMS

    Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a talented and experienced individual to be our lead systems designer for Heroes of the Storm. As the systems lead, you’ll work with all departments to shape the social, competitive, and online community. You’ll also drive the engagement systems that keep players coming back for more, while looking for ways to continue growing the game.

    As a feature and product owner, you’ll also be responsible for maintaining strong lines of communication between all departments and disciplines.

    The right person will foster a creative and energetic environment for a group of peers who are passionate about making great games, and help mentor them to grow as designers. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in game design, a strong aptitude for critical thinking and analysis, outstanding people skills, boundless creativity, and extensive knowledge of MOBA games.

    Responsibilities

    • Work with team leadership to design and influence game systems for online features which promote positive social, community, and competitive interaction.

    • Design and see to completion entire game systems. Work with team leadership to set direction for feature development.

    • Grow and mentor other designers.

    • Work closely with the user interface, technical, and systems design teams to implement game interactions and user interface which support social and engagement systems.

    • Act as a player advocate to ensure the highest level of usability, playability, and visual excitement.

    • Coordinate closely with business and business intelligence teams.

    Requirements

    • A minimum of 5 years’ experience in the video game industry Designed, developed, and shipped major game systems in a AAA game

    • Able to develop and champion a strong design vision for a game system from concept to completion

    • Outstanding self-motivation and initiative

    • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

    • Able to work well in a team environment

    • Able to work creatively in a demanding technical environment

    Pluses

    • Previous lead experience

    • Experience in current MOBA games

    • Experience working on a live game

    • Education in sociology, social psychology or related field

    • Analytical skills for evaluating systems and interpreting player behavior data

    • Knowledge of free-to-play games and monetization

    • Comfortable with community and press interaction

    • Experience in user interface and interaction design with representative wire-frames or mock-ups

    • Experience in other game development disciplines: User Interface, Audio, Art, Engineering

    Required Application Materials

    • Resume

    • Cover Letter which should include:

    • Why you are interested in working at Blizzard

    • What games you are currently playing

    Is this Captain A'Dab's current/old job?

    Alan, The Captain, is still THE captain (Game Director), and Travis is our Lead Game Designer. This is a position to fill the old role Travis held (well, currently still does as well) so we can get him focused on more non-system specific things.

    No one has left, we just need moar peoples!! =)

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