Technical Game Designer

WHO WE ARE

Pixel Vault is a media group focused on elevating crypto-native assets across a variety of mediums through the development of intellectual property, as we build alongside the community. Through blockchain gaming, comics, and other mediums, our team uses storytelling to bring life to on-chain digital assets for the benefit of stakeholders and the broader crypto community — and we have fun doing it!

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are seeking a talented Technical Game Designer to join our Gaming team and contribute to a variety of gaming projects at Pixel Vault. The ideal candidate will have at least 2 years of experience in the gaming industry and, ideally, 5+ years of experience in game design.

As a Technical Game Designer, you will work alongside experienced professionals in game development to create captivating, blockchain-driven gaming experiences. This role requires a passion for game design, proficiency in Unity, and a creative mindset to contribute to the development and design of engaging gameplay elements.

You will report directly to the Lead Game Designer – designing, implementing, testing, and balancing a wide variety of games, resulting in high quality content for the web3 market and beyond.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate with the lead game designer and colleagues on the design and development of gameplay mechanics, levels, and features for interactive gaming experiences 
• Work closely with producers, artists, and developers to implement game design elements integrating NFTs, tokenomics, and decentralized systems
• Participate in playtesting, collecting feedback, and adapting designs and balance to improve the player experience.
• Collaborate on the creation of prototypes and wireframes that visualize and communicate design concepts, considering the unique aspects of web3 gaming and blockchain-backed technology.
• Innovate and create solutions that enhance gameplay, mechanics, and overall user experience in the context of blockchain technology and NFTs.
• Articulate, through written and verbal form, clear and unambiguous feature requirements for game developers to work from
• Prioritize tasks effectively in accordance with project plan and critical path dependencies as identified by the game producer
• Conduct playtesting and tuning passes on the game and individual skills / components to adjust game balance and behaviour to maximize fun and fairness

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Game Design or related field, or equivalent experience, with an interest in web3 and the blockchain gaming space.
• Solid understanding of game design principles and industry best practices
• Proficiency in Unity with a high comfort level editing parameters for Unity-based components to instrument game design content. Specifically, coordinating game components to create interesting skill behaviors, skill combinations, and skill effects.
• Capable and confident reading and writing C# and C++ to implement proof-of-concept features for experimentation and/or demonstration purposes
• Capable of integrating timeline/animation data associated with game effects for timing events and triggering game behaviors
• Self-starting and highly motivated to make high quality gaming products

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Design and development experience in a shipped gaming title or advanced personal gaming project using Unity as a platform
• Planning and documentation experience using spreadsheets and visualization tools as tools to track and adjust game design and balancing dynamics
• Tuning and balancing complex systems of interacting game design components with interdependencies
• Animation adjustment experience using Unity animation tools (ie. animation controller, animation window, timeline) and using them to create sample character animations and behaviors for the purpose of demonstrating skills
• VFX and SFX selection and implementation experience for the purposes of prototyping with placeholder assets
• Nice-to-have: Familiarity and enjoyment of a wide range of collectible card games, 2d games, strategy games, and brawler/fighting games 

LOCATION

This position is fully remote. US-based and international candidates are welcome to apply.

The compensation for this role is structured with a base annual salary ranging between $75K - 98K USD. The actual annual salary paid for this position will be based on several factors, including but not limited to, skills, prior experiences, training, company needs, and current market demands.

WHAT WE OFFER

• 100% remote
• Localized comprehensive health benefits
• Unlimited Discretionary Time Off 
• Paid leave for new parents to support work/life balance  
• Stipends for Wellness, Home Office, Professional Development, Crypto/Blockchain Conferences

Pixel Vault is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or nationality. In addition, Pixel Vault acknowledges that the tech industry lacks opportunities for those in underrepresented demographics. We are committed to creating a diverse team because diversity builds better products. We encourage candidates to ask questions about our diversity and inclusion values and efforts.