Game Designer II

IGT, a Nevada Corporation•Reno, NV

4d•Onsite

About The Position

IGT is looking for a Game Designer for the Video Poker product line, which includes poker, keno, blackjack, slots, and roulette games. Game Designers are responsible for developing the design vision for game development projects including oversight of the game development process and team to assure the Designer’s vision is realized. This role is a central point of cross-functional game contributors including Producers, Graphic Artists, Mathematicians, Developers, Technical Artists, Test Engineers, and 3rd party contractors. Responsibilities include oversight and decision making with respect to the mechanics of the game, directionality of art, sounds, and themes, and mathematical aspects of how the game plays among others. Game Designers facilitate development in two ways: creation of new games from design ideation through release as a final product and/or existing game adaptation termed reskins or conversions for release in markets with different rules and nuances. Designers typically work on multiple game development projects at once.

Requirements

Knowledge of the gaming industry.
Previous game design experience.
Previous experience coordinating multiple cross-functional teams to create end-user products from ideation to release.
Passion and energy for games, technology, and entertainment.
Conversational ability to interact with technical game contributors supported by basic understanding of mathematics, engineering, and art principles.
Ability to communicate ideas and direction to a cross-functional game development team.
Collaborative approach to quick solutions with test engineers on production issues.
Ability to accept constructive criticism and feedback to incorporate into the game development process.
Requirement to obtain gaming card & be 21+ years of age (Nevada, US).

Nice To Haves

Associate or bachelor’s degree.
1-4 years’ experience in game design or multimedia design.
Previous experience in a technical discipline (e.g., art, math, or engineering).
Previous experience coordinating multiple cross-functional teams to create end-user products from ideation to release.
Working knowledge of designer roles & responsibilities at IGT.
Working knowledge of IGT game development process and tasks of cross-functional game development contributors.
Awareness of market segmentation in gaming industry and gaming regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

Immerse in IGT and gaming industry environment by playing games, reviewing internally available information, and interacting with employees involved in the game development process.
Understand market requirements in the Video Poker context and bring new games to that market space.
Develop and document design vision for game products to assigned market(s) with mentor oversight.
Support team members with development of design vision for game products to assigned market(s).
Facilitate development and delivery of game projects to assigned market(s) from initial concept to release.
Engage with and motivate cross-functional project team to deliver on designer’s vision while ensuring product specifications are met.
Identify solutions to game development challenges and conflicting expectations of cross-functional team members.
Serve as liaison for cross-functional team requests including prioritizing requests based on impact to game development process.
Review delivered results against initial vision to identify areas of improvement for successive game development projects.
Continuously learning designer roles & responsibilities through active field engagement and asking questions of mentor.
Learn the game development process and tasks of moderately complex game development projects including involved cross-functional area by shadowing teams and engagement in cross-functional meetings.
Understand team members’ points of view and incorporate those into your approach to team communication.
Develop working understanding of key factors that determine prioritization of project assignments, game development initiatives, & tasks of cross-functional game development team.
Adapt by learning from past challenges and constructive feedback to improve game production process.
Expand target market(s) research for products at home and/or global studios and evidence understanding of market segmentation and product requirements.
Engage with the game development team to identify gaming market influences on IGT product lines.
Develop understanding of gaming regulatory requirements.