Senior Game Designer

PlayFirst is an innovative entertainment company that makes video games appealing to everyone. We create engaging story worlds that capture imaginations and we make those experiences available everywhere consumers want to play. PlayFirst teams create outstanding games, then we bring those games to life across popular platforms worldwide including PC, Mac, mobile, handheld, and console. The company's portfolio includes world-renowned titles, such as Diner Dash®, Wedding Dash™, Chocolatier™, Chocolatier®, and Dream Chronicles™. PlayFirst games are available in major retailers and on more than 500 sites in 20 languages.

Founded in 2004 by veterans of Internet portals, traditional games publishers, entertainment software, and technology firms, PlayFirst is funded by Mayfield Fund, Trinity Ventures, Rustic Canyon Partners and DCM. PlayFirst, Inc is headquartered in downtown San Francisco. For more information, visit www.playfirst.com.

Job Description:

You are an experienced game designer who has shipped numerous titles on multiple platforms. You are an imaginative, creative talent able to lead teams to creative consensus around innovative, original ideas in interactive entertainment. Using a deep knowledge of interactive play, including online games, you will spearhead design on projects assigned to you in the PlayFirst internal Studio as well as ensure quality design on some of PlayFirst's external projects.

Using your keen eye for aesthetics as well as game mechanics, (including approaches to meta-structure and storytelling) you will offer creative expertise, helping the Creative Director and game designers to guide the design and creative direction on internal and external projects, including both original IP and licensed properties. You are able to excel at a strategic level, inventing and sourcing from third parties the best games to serve our target consumers, but you are also able to operate effectively at a tactical level, driving concepts through the approval process and development to launch and beyond.

Responsibilities:

• Leading game design is the key area of responsibility, though you may also be asked to act as team leader and spearhead project management.
• Act as creative consultant on PlayFirst game projects, helping the Design Manager guide the creative direction and development requirements on internal and external game projects.
• Drive prototyping, mechanics, pacing, usability, level ramp, story, meta-structure, aesthetics, and creative vision of projects assigned to you.
• Write detailed design documentation for internal projects.
• Ensure the delivery of quality design documentation on all external game projects.
• Observe and analyze user testing, recommend design solutions.
• Contribute to brand definition efforts including character bibles, scripted story segments and other narrative aspects of branded content.
• Source ideas and draft proposals consisting of concept docs, development plans, product plans, and schedules.
• Understand and contribute to overall company goals and sales/marketing requirements advising on portfolio direction and new game ideas and inventing and sourcing from third parties the best games to serve our target consumers.
• Mentor game designers across the company as well as externally, and offer guidelines for all written game design documents including functional and asset specifications, ensuring the delivery of quality design documentation on all internal and external game projects.

Requirements:

• Must showcase strengths in imagination and creativity.
• Excellent analytical, facilitation and organizational skills required.
• 4-7 years of game design experience.
• Shipped multiple games as lead designer.
• Experience managing and mentoring junior designers.
• Demonstrated ability to be self-motivated- meeting deadlines is required.
• Demonstrated ability to work well with Art, Marketing, and Engineering staff to efficiently deliver the best games while meeting the goals and requirements of each of those teams.
• Proven success in previous creative endeavors.
• Commitment to craftsmanship.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills essential.
• College degree strongly preferred, but not required.
• Must have current US work authorization.

Preferred:

• A good sense of humor.
• Knowledge of the casual games industry.

Benefits

Core benefits include: health, dental, vision, life/disability, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) and stock options. PlayFirst is located downtown in SOMA right by the financial district (2 blocks from BART) and offers great fringe benefits, including generous paid time off, 10 company holidays, yoga, chair massage, snacks, refreshments, and company-wide "playdates" to test each of our games during the development process.

To apply for this position, please email your resume in a standard Word or PDF document to jobs@playfirst.com and please include the exact job title in the subject line as above.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer