You’ll most likely be interviewed for an entry level position such as junior, assistant or associate game designer.
However, after working as a professional game designer in a studio for a couple of years, it’s much easier to get hired because your peers will be able to vouch for your skills, and it’s also easier to find jobs.
Until then, think of getting through game design interviews as a skill that will help you show off your process, preferences, and potential.
There is a reason why you are asked certain questions in a game designer interview. Read on to learn more about this process.
To help you do better in game design interviews, I’ll tell you what questions they will ask and how you should answer them. This will help you get ready for the interviews.
There are a lot of different ways to design a game, and they all fit into the main loop. There are also a lot of other game developers who make music, sound effects, and graphics that help the main loop.
Let’s talk about the main types of content and systems design in this article. We’ll focus on entry-level game design jobs, which are usually generalist jobs.
It’s mostly been mass filtering up to this point, and most of it is being done by an ATS system, recruiters, and hiring managers. The actual designer will be involved later.
By the way, as you read this post, feel free to join #career-guidance channel in Funsmith Club Discord where you can seek advice from game devs of all levels including me on.
Here, you can also be notified every week of the newest game design job openings and useful tips
Interviewing for a video game designer role can be intimidating. If you want the job, you’ll have to show off your skills, experience, and drive. You can ace the interview and get your dream job as a game developer, though, if you prepare well. There are a lot of video game designer interview questions, and this guide will help you answer them perfectly.
Overview of the Video Game Designer Interview Process
The interview process will be different for each company, but here’s what you can expect in general:
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Prescreening call: A quick phone or video call to verify your background and interest.
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A lot of companies will ask you to do a short design test or code sample before the main interviews to see what skills you have.
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Technical interviews: 1-3 rounds of more in-depth technical interviews focused on your design skills and approach.
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Culture interviews Chats with future teammates to see if you’d be a culture add to the team
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Design collaboration: A mock whiteboard or collaborative design session with current designers.
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Reference and background checks Final verifications before a job offer
With each successive round, the questions will get more detailed and challenging. But going in with the right mindset and prep work will set you up for success.
General Interview Questions About You
These introductory questions help the interviewers get to know you as a designer:
<div>What game are you most proud of developing and why?</div>
This gives you a chance to talk passionately about a past project. Focus on your specific contributions rather than just describing the game.
<div>What systems do you use to create game concepts and story characters?</div>
Share your personal process for coming up with ideas and developing game narratives. Demonstrate how you translate concepts into playable prototypes.
<div>How do you organize and plan your project work?</div>
Discuss your approach to task management, scheduling, documentation, and team communication throughout a dev cycle.
<div>What are the most challenging issues of video game design?</div>
Think through a few key difficulties like balancing, tuning, scope creep, or technical constraints. Show you understand the broader challenges of the field.
Technical Video Game Design Interview Questions
These questions aim to probe your hard skills in game design and development:
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Walk me through your design process for ____.
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How would you improve the combat design in _____?
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What key things do you look for when playtesting a level?
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How would you create a progression system that keeps players engaged?
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How do you scope appropriately for a new feature or system?
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Explain your approach for communicating design ideas through documentation.
For these types of questions, use specific examples and concrete details wherever possible. Show your analytical abilities and how you would apply your expertise to their game.
Game Design Whiteboard or Mock Design Session
In later rounds, you may be asked to work through a hypothetical design problem with the interviewers:
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Design a new weapon for our first person shooter.
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How would you rework this game mechanic to improve the player experience?
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Here’s a rough level layout – provide feedback on the flow, pacing, and balance.
Treat this like a real ideation session. Ask clarifying questions, think out loud, sketch rough diagrams, and explain your reasoning. This shows how you collaborate and arrive at solutions.
Video Game Studio and Team Fit Questions
Culture fit is crucial, so expect questions like:
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Why do you want to work for our studio?
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How do you handle ambiguity or uncertainty in a development cycle?
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Tell me about a time you received constructive feedback on your design work. How did you respond?
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What is your leadership style? How do you motivate colleagues?
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How do you handle inter-departmental collaboration on a project?
Use these to highlight your enthusiasm for their studio, adaptability, and teamwork skills. Give specific examples of your strengths here.
Questions to Ask the Studio
Interviews go both ways, so bring 3-5 thoughtful questions such as:
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How are design priorities and requirements determined on your team?
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What does your iteration process look like after initial prototypes are complete?
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How much autonomy will I have over my work versus collaborating with others?
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What are some weaknesses or pain points in your current design process, and how are you addressing them?
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What opportunities are there for designers to provide upward feedback?
This shows your thought process and that you’ve done your research on the company.
How to Prepare for Your Video Game Designer Interview
With the right prep, you can show up confident and ready to wow them. Here are some tips:
Practice aloud: Verbalizing your process and ideas is key. Do mock interviews with friends to get comfortable.
Review your portfolio: Refresh yourself on all your past projects and be ready to dive deep. Have screenshots and examples handy.
Research the studio: Get familiar with their games, team, culture, and any developer presentations or postmortems they’ve done.
Prepare questions: Having thoughtful questions shows you’re truly interested in the company and team.
Rest up: Get a good night’s sleep beforehand so you’re energized and focused.
What Makes a Strong Video Game Designer Candidate
While different studios look for different things, in general they want to see:
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A collaborative mindset, with strong communication skills
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The ability to speak fluently about game design principles
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A solid design process rooted in iteration and testing
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Deep analytical and problem-solving abilities
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Passion for games, with an eye for details and mechanics
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Proficiency in game engines like Unity or Unreal
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A good attitude that will mesh with the team culture
How do studios conduct game design interviews?
It’s different for each studio, but the following are generally true for most of the standard ways studios hire people:
The first thing you’ve already done to show that you’re a good candidate is get to the interview stage.
Cover letter & resume – These are the initial touch points when recruiters are filtering for candidates.
Portfolio for game design—Before you hear back, your portfolio needs to grab their attention and show proof of what they look for.
Game design test—Most studios send design tests to you before you even talk to a developer.
Before you get to the actual designer, it’s mostly mass filtering up to this point, and most of that filtering is done by an ATS system, recruiters, and hiring managers.
When it comes to the interview, the talent-screening process is just getting started. This means that the studio has to send developers to test the candidates who made it through the earlier rounds.
Most likely, you will talk to a recruiter or hiring manager first, before you talk to a developer.
Keep in mind that they have to filter candidates at scale. The most valuable time is the game developers’ time.
But it’s hard for studios to tell if candidates are a good fit for the skills, brand, and culture of the company without the game developers being involved.
This is why 90% of applications are thrown out before they reach the game developers who are actually making the games.
Expect the following formats in the sequential order as you move closer to job offer:
- They ask a question, and you answer it (we’ll talk more about this later).
- Live mock design session: Act out a situation where you can show how you find and fix design issues. (harder to fake).
- A skill fit interview will be done with you by a group of game developers working on the project to see if your skills and experience are a good fit for their needs. You will have an interview with the game developers you will be working with a lot to see if they like working with you.
This is something else Richard Carillo talks about in his 2018 GDC talk when he gives interviewers
You can use this design framework if you don’t have any clear ones to use. I used it all through my career.
Checkout these game design interview tips and process overview to help you better navigate the interview process.
Here is an x-ray vision into how the game design hiring process works in most game studios.
See How You Can Learn the Gameplay Design Abilities Game Studios Are After To…
- Get more interview invites & job offers
- Replicate decisions that make games fun
- Learn faster with mentorship guidance
Top 18 Game Designer Interview Questions and Answers in 2024
FAQ
What is the most important question a designer must answer when creating a successful video game?
What does a video game designer need to know?
How do you answer a video game design interview question?
Video game design is a fast-paced industry, and employers want to know that you’re committed to keeping your skills up-to-date. Use this question as an opportunity to show the interviewer how passionate you are about video games and how you use new trends to improve your work.
How do you prepare for a game design interview?
Game designers envision almost every element of a video game, including characters, missions, storytelling, visual designs and user interface layout. Exploring example interview questions for this creative role can help you prepare for a potential interview.
How many interview questions do game designers ask?
In this article, we list 15 general game designer interview questions, detail 15 questions about experience and background, share 15 in-depth questions about specific game designing duties and provide several example questions with sample answers.
What questions should you ask during a game development interview?
During interviews with game developers and designers, recruiters ask questions that help them assess both the soft skills and technical expertise necessary for the job. Therefore, you can benefit from reviewing common questions that you may encounter during a game development interview.
