Game Programming Job Description
A short description of what a game programmer does. Game Programmers have to have a strong knowledge of coding languages and knowledge on the platforms they use such as Unity or Unreal Engine. They have many responsibilities such as having to collaborate with other programmers to create schedules and deadlines, designing and testing the gameplay to make sure it works properly. These jobs typically tend to create a salary of between £35,000 for a junior position up to £62,000 for a senior programmer.
Below are two jobs that I found on LinkedIn which are both within reasonable distances for me to potentially work in. There were many programming jobs but these two have certain requirements that I could achieve by the time I am finished with University.
Dlala Studios – Gameplay Programmer
We are looking for Gameplay Programmers to join our tech team on an unannounced new project, working on an established and much loved IP.
- Work closely with other team members to implement core gameplay systems and features
- Create Unity Editor tools to aid asset pipeline and creation
- Develop and test code, fix bugs and profile and optimise code as required
- Collaborate effectively with a small, high energy team of artists and designers
Core Skills & Key Requirements
- A strong working knowledge of Unity 2D and 3D
- A good knowledge of 3D Math
- Proactive problem-solving ability and troubleshooting skills
- Ability to work efficiently and independently
- A professional and collaborative work attitude, with excellent interpersonal and organisational skills
Required Industry Experience
- 2+ years games development
- One or more shipped products
- Unity experience commercial / non-commercial
Desirable Experience
- Unity development for consoles
- A portfolio showcasing your skills
Payload Studios – Gameplay Programmer
We are looking for a Gameplay Programmer to join our independent games studio in Farringdon, Central London, England.
Payload Studios are makers of the award-winning TerraTech and we also operate the Tentacle Zone, a community led developer network.
What You’ll Be Doing
You will join our talented programming team who develop and maintain the codebase for TerraTech. The main responsibilities of the role will be adding new features to TerraTech and delivering releases across a range of platforms.
Your Responsibilities will include:
- Planning and delivering new features in out TerraTech game.
- Delivering upgrades across a range of console platforms.
- Working closely with all disciplines, to manage releases.
Requirements
- At least 2 years’ experience working as a programmer in the Games Industry
- A good working knowledge of Unity and C#
- The ability to organise work and operate independently
- Strong communication skills
Below are the personal specification documents which include the qualifications, experience & knowledge needed, personal abilities and personal qualities. These documents have these criteria in them to help employers find the right candidate for the job.
Game Designer Job Description
Game Designers have to create the environment, story, characters, etc for a video game. This job has a lot of responsibilities and roles that it must follow such as having good communication skills, programming skills, technical knowledge and creativity. Game Designers, at entry-level, make around £29,000 whereas at the top end they make around £74,000.
Below are two jobs to do with Games Design that I found on LinkedIn.
Rockstar Games – Technical Game Designer
At Rockstar Games, we create world-class entertainment experiences.
A career at Rockstar Games is about being part of a team working on some of the most creatively rewarding and ambitious projects to be found in any entertainment medium. You would be welcomed to a dedicated and inclusive environment where you can learn, and collaborate with some of the most talented people in the industry.
Rockstar North is looking for talented designers whose skill set combines technical excellence with a passion for making games. As part of the Design/Scripting team you will be using an in-house scripting language to code missions, ambient content, and/or gameplay systems. You will be required to engage with a range of classic game programming areas such as AI, physics, animation, UI, and data management among others.
This is a full-time permanent position based out of Rockstar’s unique game development studio in the heart of Edinburgh.
What We Do
- The Design Team creates moments of exciting action gameplay, ultra-real slices of ambient life, and everything in between, implementing many of the complex systems that underpin our worlds.
- Our content spans many genres and types of gameplay. Our designers bring their wide knowledge of gaming, game design and outside culture to make every aspect of our games world class.
- We assume responsibility for programming our content and systems, creating scripts which are often complex and intricate – both for single player and online games.
- Creative thinking is an important part of what we do, and while we work to design briefs, designers have many opportunities to shape our games from the ground up.
- We work closely with all departments in the company, bringing together narrative, art, code systems, UI, networking, animation, audio and many other elements to create immersive gameplay.
Responsibilities
- Author exciting new content using our in-house tools.
- Work to program game content or systems while meeting strict deadlines.
- Liaise with artists, animators and programmers to create compelling content.
- Provide clear and detailed reports of bugs to other teams.
Qualifications
- A Computer Science or Game Design degree is considered an advantage. However, relevant experience is taken into consideration.
Skills
- Strong C# programming ability.
- A good understanding of object-oriented programming patterns.
- Experience with visual scripting tools.
- Excellent communication, technical & problem-solving skills.
- Highly organized with proven ability to deliver on deadlines.
- A game design-oriented mindset, and a passion for creating games.
PLUSES
- Prior experience working in medium to large sized development teams.
- Ability to design clean and concise APIs.
- Experience of game design/scripting in a professional environment.
Auroch Digital Ltd – Junior Games Designer
Are you a new Game Designer eager to grow your skills and experience? Auroch Digital is looking for junior Game Designers to help create multiple upcoming game projects in the strategy and management genres. The successful candidate will be working on high profile projects to create imaginative and engaging games across PC and console platforms.
You will be responsible for delivering the best possible game experience for the projects, features and areas you are working on to schedule, budget and quality. This role will entail assisting with design work on one of several major new game projects we have in the works. You will be working in a team where everyone supports each other and is given the freedom and responsibility to take charge of and deliver their tasks. Communication is important, especially the ability to communicate complex ideas to others.
Auroch are an independent game studio, established in 2010 and with an extensive catalogue, including Mars Horizon and Dark Future: Blood Red States. We have an exciting stable of licensed and independent IP games in development including our upcoming beer brewing hobby game Brewmaster. Our diverse, friendly and enthusiastic team are based in the centre of Bristol, but we are open to remote working for the right candidate. We have an agile company ethos that strongly values work-life balance and supporting our people to grow. We want our people to have a positive influence on other team members and a passion to support others.
Responsibilities:
- Working on design tasks in collaboration with other designers, producing well thought out work that adheres to the requirements of the task
- Contributing to clear and coherent design documentation that can be directly passed to artists and coders for implementation
- Working closely with the artists and coders to make sure the design is properly implemented according to specification and vision
- Working in a game engine (e.g. Unreal, Unity) to set up game content and balance gameplay systems
- Resolving scripting and in-game text bugs and issues in the game files as they arise
Requirements:
- Prior game design experience, either a University degree or professional game industry experience (1+ years) in a design role
- Experience with both of the following aspects of game design: System Design (e.g. designing game mechanics, documenting them) & Content Design (e.g. building levels, balancing a game)
- Good written and verbal communication skills, including being able to both provide and respond to feedback constructively
- Highly organised and self motivated
- Ability to work to schedule on assigned tasks, and work within a structured project management environment
Desirable:
- Scripting/programming/art/modding experience
- Experience working in a team
- Experience with the strategy and/or management genres of games
- Experience with Unity and/or Unreal engines
Below are the personal specifications for the game design jobs.
