Who is PlaySide?
PlaySide Studios is a dynamic and innovative company that employs individuals across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
As Australia's largest publicly listed independent video game developer, PlaySide is committed to delivering cutting-edge interactive experiences across mobile, VR, AR, and PC platforms.
With a diverse portfolio of more than 60 titles and collaborations with industry giants like Netflix and Activision Blizzard, working at PlaySide is not just a job but an opportunity to be part of innovating the gaming industry.
Overview: As a talented Senior Designer, you will independently define and own mid-scale designs within a focused area of a project, aligning with high-level design direction and project goals.
They will work closely with other senior designers and leads to ensure successful implementation and player engagement.
Key Responsibilities: Define and own mid-scale designs within a focused project area, managing entire levels or liveops features for games across different platforms with lead designer feedback.
Align designs and implementation details with project vision and goals, explaining and defending design choices to stakeholders.
Deliver concise designs to solve mid-scale problems, generating reliable estimates and consistent effort sizes.
Utilize industry-standard tools effectively, identifying opportunities for efficiency.
Define documentation structure for larger games or game design documentation for smaller games, presenting designs effectively.
Listen to player feedback to inform decisions, orchestrate playtests, and evaluate feedback for leads.
Propose solutions aligned with design goals and project pillars, reviewing and refining design goals across problem and solution spaces.
Resolve uncertainty through collaboration, defining acceptance criteria and validating implementations independently.
Prioritize MVP components of designs, considering scope cuts and feedback from leadership and the team.
Design player-first, tailoring designs to the intended target group with a well-researched understanding of the audience.
Critique and deconstruct reference work to inform future designs, identifying design intent behind mechanics in reference titles.
Facilitate collaborative design activities and align team discussions with design strategy.
Contribute significantly to sprint review feedback, dynamically defining designs based on development complexity and iterating based on feedback.
Advocate for an exciting player experience, pushing for creative designs that support the game's fantasy and player experience while scrutinizing proposals through a lens of development cost and outcome value.
Qualifications: Proven experience in game design, particularly in owning mid-scale design areas on larger games, or leading entire smaller-scale game projects on mobile.
Strong understanding of the development pipeline and ability to align designs with project vision and goals.
Proficiency in industry-standard design tools and excellent communication skills.
Ability to conduct playtests, evaluate feedback, and collaborate effectively.
Player-first mindset with a well-researched understanding of the target audience.
What We Offer Here at PlaySide!
Playdays - an additional 5 paid days off per year to do something you love.
Incredible studios based in gorgeous Gold Coast area.
Industry-leading Parental Leave benefits.
Relocation Assistance.
Employee Assistance Program to support mental well-being.
Mentoring opportunities to help you grow in your role.
Social events including Games night, karaoke nights, Movie Nights (We hire out the cinema!
), group activities, and food trucks!
Just as some examples!
PlaySide is the largest independent games studio in Australia.
Founded in 2011, we're a team with big ideas and the skills to deliver with our incredible team.
In our history, we have released over 50+ titles across Mobile, PC, VR, AR, and now moving into console.
We take so much pride in each and every project we create.
Playside is a place of endless opportunity, where we focus on keeping the fun in game development.
We offer an amazingly professional, playful and supportive working environment.
If you thrive on challenges and want to work on a diverse range of projects for a forward-thinking company, we want to hear from you.