Creative Game Designer with 4 years of experience crafting engaging player experiences across mobile and indie platforms, specializing in progression systems and environmental storytelling
Proven track record of designing mechanics that increase player retention by 35% and reduce tutorial drop-off rates through intuitive onboarding flows
Passionate advocate for accessibility in gaming with expertise in Unity, Unreal Engine, and collaborative cross-functional development processes
Professional Experience
Pixel Dreams Studio
Game Designer
March 2022 - Present
Designed and balanced progression systems for "Mystic Gardens," a match-3 puzzle game with 250,000+ active monthly users
Created comprehensive design documentation for crafting mechanics serving 150,000+ daily active users, resulting in 40% increase in session length
Collaborated with 8-person cross-functional team to iterate on core gameplay loop based on A/B testing data from 50,000+ players
Implemented accessibility features including colorblind-friendly UI and motor accessibility options, increasing player base diversity by 25%
Led weekly playtesting sessions with 20+ external participants to validate design decisions and identify pain points
Indie Collective Games
Junior Game Designer
June 2021 - February 2022
Designed 12 unique puzzle mechanics for "Echoes of Time," a narrative puzzle-platformer with 75,000+ Steam downloads
Created environmental storytelling elements that reduced need for explicit dialogue by 60% while maintaining narrative clarity
Collaborated with narrative team to design branching dialogue system supporting 15+ story outcomes
Optimized tutorial flow through iterative testing, reducing player drop-off in first 10 minutes from 45% to 18%
Moonbeam Interactive
QA Tester & Design Contributor
September 2020 - May 2021
Conducted comprehensive testing for "Stellar Conquest" mobile strategy game, identifying 200+ bugs across 15 game builds
Contributed design suggestions that were implemented in final release, including UI flow improvements and difficulty balancing
Created detailed bug reports and design feedback documentation using Jira and Confluence
Participated in daily standups and sprint planning with 12-person development team
Education
University of Washington
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
May 2020
Relevant Coursework: Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Statistical Analysis, Research Methods Senior Thesis: "Player Motivation Patterns in Roguelike Games" - Analyzed survey data from 800+ players to identify retention factors
California Institute of the Arts via Coursera
Game Design Certificate
2021
Completed 5-course specialization including "Game Design Document: Define Your Game" and "Game Balance and Player Psychology" Capstone Project: Complete game design document for puzzle-platformer "Temporal Shift"
Unity Technologies
Unity Certified User: Programmer
2022
Scored 92% on gameplay programming assessment demonstrating proficiency in C# scripting and Unity workflows
Documentation & Collaboration: Confluence, Jira, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Slack, Discord
Systems Design: Progression systems, economy balancing, retention mechanics
Level Design: Environmental storytelling, player guidance, difficulty pacing
UX/UI Design: Menu flow optimization, accessibility features, mobile interface design
Narrative Design: Environmental narrative, character development, branching dialogue systems
Shipped Titles & Projects
"Mystic Gardens"
2023
Pixel Dreams Studio | 2023 - Mobile Match-3 Game 250,000+ monthly active users, featured in App Store's "Best Puzzle Games" category Role: Systems Designer for progression mechanics and monetization features
"Echoes of Time"
2022
Indie Collective Games | 2022 - PC Puzzle-Platformer 75,000+ Steam downloads, 89% positive user reviews Role: Lead Designer for puzzle mechanics and environmental storytelling
"Neon Runner" (Personal Project)
2021
Solo Developer | 2021 - Endless Runner Game 15,000+ downloads on itch.io, featured in "Games by BIPOC Creators" collection Role: Solo designer and developer, managed community feedback and released 4 major updates
Awards & Recognition
Best Innovation Award
Global Game Jam Seattle
2023
Led 4-person team to create "Reverb," a sound-based puzzle game in 48 hours Competed against 60+ teams; game featured on Global Game Jam homepage
Honorable Mention
IGF Student Showcase
2022
"Echoes of Time" recognized for excellence in narrative design and innovative puzzle mechanics
Featured Publication
Personal Blog
2022
"Breaking Down Celeste's Accessibility Design" 25,000+ views, featured in Game Design Weekly newsletter and cited in 3 academic papers Analyzed assist options and their impact on player experience and game difficulty curves
References
Sarah Martinez
Lead Game Designer - Pixel Dreams Studio
Email: [email protected] | Phone: (555) 345-6789 Relationship: Direct supervisor for 2 years, oversaw my work on "Mystic Gardens" progression systems
Dr. Michael Thompson
Associate Professor, Interactive Media - University of Washington
Email: [email protected] | Phone: (555) 456-7890 Relationship: Academic advisor and thesis supervisor, mentored my research on player psychology
Alex Rivera
Creative Director - Indie Collective Games
Email: [email protected] | Phone: (555) 567-8901 Relationship: Creative lead during my time developing "Echoes of Time," witnessed my growth from junior to mid-level designer
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