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Video games are extremely complex pieces of softwares that takes countless lines of codes to help you imerge into an alternate reality.
Creating a videogame take more than the ablity to write a code, you have to design charactors, design plots, develop the storeboard, create animation and many other things.
As a game designer you will be the forefront of all these aspects and build your game from scratch.
However, if you wish to get a job as a game designer, you need to make your game design resume right.
Use this 2023 guide to craft a stellar game designer resume that wins the pot.
Table of Content:
- What Does a Game Designer Do?
- How much does a game designer earn in the USA?
- What are the sections to use in a game designer resume?
- What are the resume formats to use in a game designer resume?
- How to write the game designer resume header section?
- How to create a summary for game designer resume
- How to add key skills in the game designer resume?
- How to write a work experience section of the game designer resume?
- What is the best way to add your education experience to the game designer resume
- How to add certification to the game designer resume?
- How to add the additional experience to the game designer resume?
What Does a Game Designer Do?
A video game designer is a person who imagines almost everything about a game, including its plots, characters, visual designs, and layouts. The designer must also create the game's mechanics—the way players interact with objects in the game. Video game designers are often called "game designers" or simply "designers."
Game designers start by coming up with their ideas for games. They then pitch these ideas to companies that make video games. If the company likes the idea, they will hire a designer to work on it full-time.
Once hired, game designers work with other members of their team (artists and programmers) to create all aspects of their game from scratch.
Game Designer Responsibilities
Here are the basic responsibilities of a game designer resume:
- Brainstorm game concepts, and create storyboards for game experience
- Develop game characters and plots for the game story
- Design the codes and troubleshoot game performance to reduce glitches
- Document codes and coordinate with developers to develop a game environment
- Collect customer feedback and implement those into the game
- Solve game bugs and create patches to ensure the game works perfectly.
Game Design Salary
According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a game designer in the USA is $81,669 per year
According to Payscale the average salary of a game designer in the USA is around $67604 per year
Here's a list of the average yearly salary for a game designer job as quoted by reputed career websites:
Game Design Resume Sections
To write a perfectly optimized game designer resume, it should be well-written and well-aligned. Information should be compartmentalized into neat sections so that your resume is easy on the eyes and inviting to any recruiter.
Using distinct sections to organize your video game resume can help.
So while drafting your game designer resume, make sure that you use the following sections:
- Header
- Personal Information
- Profile Title
- Summary/Objective
- Key Skills
- Professional Experience
- Education
- Certifications (if any)
- Awards & Recognition (if any)
- Additional Information (if any)
Also Read: What are the different sections to add to a resume?.
Game Design Resume Formats
There are 3 primary resume formats used by the candidates during job applications.
The format of the resume depends on the nature of your background, skills, and goals.
1. Reverse Chronological Resume Format
A reverse chronological resume is when an applicant lists their most recent work experience first, followed by previous jobs in reverse chronological order. This is an easy format for employers to read and is often used by people with a long work history who have something relevant to add to the table.
Functional Resume Format:
A functional resume focuses on skills rather than employment history. The format lists all your skills or qualifications without reference to past jobs or employers. It's a good choice if you want to highlight skills that aren't obviously related to your past work experience.
Combination Resume Format:
A combination resume includes both elements of a chronological and functional resume with sections that highlight relevant skills and qualifications while also providing a brief overview of your employment history in chronological order.
This type of resume can be used by professionals who have gaps in their employment history, but still want to showcase their skills and accomplishments in their resume.
Also Read: What format to use in a resume in 2023?.
Game Design Resume: Header
The header section is the first section of your game design resume.
You should write your real full name at the top-most part of your game design resume in a 16-20 font size. It should be written in the largest text and the first thing a recruiter notices while reading your resume.
Doing this is important because it communicates to a recruiter that the video game resume belongs to you, thus minimizing the chances of being misplaced.
Here's a game developer resume sample illustrating what your resume header should look like in your game developer resume:
Game Design Resume: Personal Information
Of importance to you is the personal information section. This is where important contact details go.
Without this section, a recruiter won't be able to get in touch with you, even if they're really interested in hiring you.
So make sure that your video game resume has a minimum of these personal contact details:
- Updated mobile number
- Professional email ID
- Current Location
Additionally, you can also include the following information:
- LinkedIn profile link
- Link to your game designer portfolio
- GitHub link
Hiration Pro Tip: When composing game design resume header section, keep the trivia out. Do not flood this section with unnecessary information such as your gender or marital details as it might lead to biased hiring.
Here's a game developer resume sample showcasing a perfectly-composed personal information section:
Also Read: How to write the contact information in resume in 2023?
Game Design Resume: Profile Title
Right after the personal information section comes the profile title section.
In the language of resume writing, we call your most recent job title/designation a 'profile title'.
Your profile title is important because it communicates the following facts to the recruiter.
- Your most recent professional designation.
- Your seniority level.
- Your functional industry.
Hiraton Pro Tip: Your profile title is written in the second-largest text of 14-16 points so that it is extremely readable.
Your video game resume should always have an accurately written profile title. Any deviation from it can cost you your reputation is not worth it.
Here's a game developer resume sample illustrating a perfecty-composed profile title:
Game Design Resume Summary
A game design resume summary is a short overview of your career trajectory in game design.
You should only write it if you have over 3 years of valuable work experience in the exciting world of game designing.
Your chief accomplishments and a brief outline of your most relevant skills should go in the resume summary of your game design resume.
Hiration Pro Tip: Always begin your summary with a brief account of your work experience and current/most recent job title. Example: "5+ years experienced Game Designer with extensive experience in........................".
It is no brainer that the summary section is of prime importance.
Here’s a list of what you can do to effectively compose it:
- Compose this section at the end. Doing this will saves you the unnecessary trouble of writing and re-writing the summary all over again.
- Pick the key highlights of your career from your work experience section.
- Keep the length of your game design resume limited to 3-5 lines.
Example of Game Desig Resume Summary:
Also Read: How to write a resume summary in 2023?
Game Design Resume Objective
You should only write a game designer resume objective if you fall into the following categories:
- You have negligible work experience
- You have zero to less than three years of work experience
- You are writing a game design student resume i.e. you are a student
- You are writing a game design intern resume i.e. you are a fresh graduate with an internship or applying for one
A game designer resume objective is more or less the same as a resume summary. But they have a small difference:
- A video game resume summary talk about your career highlights and gives an overview of your career trajectory in game designing.
- A video game design resume objective highlights the points that make the design graduate a great fit despite the lack of work experience.
- You need to highlight your skills on game design resume in the objective section.
Also Read: How to write a resume objective in 2023?
Game Design Resume: Key Skills
Your game designing skill is what makes you special.
If you have cultivated the resource and the insight of developing mind-blowing games using the latest tools and software, you are already a hot potato in this niche industry.
So updating your skills is important.
And more important than that is effectively presenting your gaming skills in your resume.
Hiration Pro Tip: Your key skills section should be crisp and to the point. Do not use phrases like 'experienced in' or 'expertise in' to endorse your video game resume skills.
Here's what you can do to effectively present this section:
- Compose this section after curating the professional experience section and pick the points from there.
- Use the correct terminology. Example: Instead of writing 'can design games', use terms like 'Game Design'. This enhances your brand value and demonstrates professionalism.
- Group all your skills under the key skills section of your game designer resume. This is where your core game-designing skills should go.
- Make a sub-section titled 'technical skills' for your technical skills and tool knowledge of software, platforms, and programming languages.
List of Skills for Game Designer Resume
Key Skills | Technical Skills |
---|---|
Game Engine | Unreal Engine |
User Interface | Unity |
Level Design | Python |
Game Systems | Android |
Virtual Reality | Unity3D |
Creative Vision | NPC |
System Design | Maya |
Content Design | RPG |
Level Layouts | - |
Sound Design | - |
For a better understanding of this section and how you should present it, take a look at the game design resume sample we have featured below:
Also Read: How to write the key skills section of a resume in 2023?
Game Design Resume: Professional Experience
All your effort will fall short even if you have a fantastic work portfolio if you are not able to articulate them effectively in your game developer resume.
The nature of your work details needs to be top-notch.
The following elements needs to go into this section:
- Name of the organization
- Designation
- Start and end date of employment
- Roles & responsibilities in bullet points
If you're game to making a highly sophisticated and well-presented game designer resume, make sure that you follow these simple tips:
- Use one-liner points
- Use the STAR format
- Start Bullet points with action verbs
- Bold important keywords
1. Use One-Line Points
Use one-liner points to describe your accomplishments and the value you bring to companies. Make sure that each point is specific and quantifiable.
2. Use STAR-Format to Frame Bullet Points
The one-liner bullet points you make should make sense. It should make an impact. And most importantly, it should be worth reading.
This is why organizing your work information in points is not enough. You need to make each point count. A great way to accomplish this is by using the STAR Format.
S.T.A.R stands for:
- S (situation/context of assigned work)
- T (task assigned)
- A (action or strategy you used)
- R (result or outcome using achievement figure)
3. Start the Bullet Points with Power Verbs
Action verbs give life to your bullet points and make them more interesting for recruiters or hiring managers to read through.
You can also use the action verbs in conjunction with numbers for greater emphasis on your accomplishments.
For example: “Maximised revenues by 30% by implementing new pricing strategies” sounds better than “Provided information about to increase revenues by 30%.
Bold Important Keywords
Recruiters will often look for various keywords when scanning through piles of resumes on their disposal.
Make sure that they can easily find all relevant information on your resume by highlighting keywords such as "game design" or "Unreal Engine" keywords.
Game Design Resume Sample for Professional Experience
Game Designing
- Developed, designed and executed ideas for 10+ PC-based games in 2019
- Increased user ratings by 60% by adding new featurs to existing games
Collaboration
- Coordinated with 5+ team members to create the design layout for combat encounters
- Collaborated with the UX & UI teams and graphic designers to improve user experience for CombatNinja2
- Created a 100% accurate history-themed mobile game by liasing with historians
Scripting
- Wrote the script for 3 mental health awareness video games for a major gaming conglomerate
Here's a game design resume sample showcasing a well-constructed professional experience section:
Also Read: How to write the work experience section of a resume in 2023?
Game Design Resume: Education
Your academic background never leaves you.
Not even when you look for a job.
The education section is a must-have section of your game design resume.
Here's what it should roughly consist of:
- Grad School/University
- Game design online/offline program or any other major you got a degree in
- University location
- Dates of enrolment & graduation
Here's a game developer resume sample showcasing the ideal education section for your resume.
Also Read: How to write the education section of a resume in 2023?
Game Design Resume: Certifications
Just like any other tech profile, presenting certifications, especially game design online or offline certification with game design schools, on your game design resume is a big yes.
Certifications are important as it shows industry-relevance. It also shows that your skills are up-to-date.
So as a rule of thumb, always make sure that you include a certifications section in your game design resume alongside the following details:
- Certification course name
- Name of the certifying organization
- Location of the certifying organization
- Enrolment & completion dates
Arrange these points in the given format in your gaming resume:
{Name of Certification} | {Affiliating Institution} | {Location} | {Date} (month & year format)
Moving on, here's a game design resume sample demonstrating the correct way of presenting the gcertifications section.
Also Read: How to write the certification section on a resume in 2023?
Game Design Resume: Additional Information
The additional information section is where an extra piece of information such as your hobbies and your languages go.
Here are some additional information you can add in your resume:
1. Volunteer Experience on Resume
Volunteer experience is a great addition to your game designer resume. If you have had the opportunity to work with a nonprofit organization or in a community service program, that is something you should definitely include on your resume.
It shows that you are willing to go above and beyond for the causes you beleive in, which is an important trait recruiters look for in a candidate.
2. Languages
Being multilingual can be a major advantage for game designers as it enhances your shortlist chances.
World's most gaming studios and corporations are located in far east countries like Japan and Korea where gaming enjoys a sacred place in everyone's hearts.
If you know the languages of these countries, this can you a slight advantage whein applying for a game designer profile.
A lot of people may not realize how important adding another languag on resume can be until they are actually required to do so by their job description.
3. Hobbies & Interests
It's always good to include hobbies and interests on a game designer resume, especially if your hobby is to play games.
This way they can get a better idea of what type of person they are hiring, and what type of work motivates you to go above and beyond.
Game Designer Cover Letter
Have you often found yourself wondering if you should write a game designer cover letter?
The answer is both yes and no.
If you have an impressive work experience spanning across over 3 years to your name, you don't need a cover letter.
On the contrary, many industry experts recommend you to write a game designer cover letter if you have negligible work experience.
It is also highly recommended for fresh graduates who don't have much of a work portfolio to discuss them in their gaming industry resume.
Either way, work experience of no work experience, writing a game designer cover letter can be extremely helpful for you.
It acts as a complementary add-on to your game developer resume and helps you cover points that a resume in its limited capacity does not allow you to do.
Game Designer Resume Sample
Before we begin, take a look at our game design resume sample to know what an ideal game designer resume should look like:
- 3D Art Packages: Maya, 3DS, Max
- Scripting Lnguages: Blueprints, Python, Lua, C/C++
- Game Engines: Unreal, Unity
- Developed, designed and co-wrote ideas for gameplay throughout the player's lifecycle
- Modified the already existing system to add new features to the game; increased user ratings from 3.5 stars to 4.5 stars
- Collaborated with other teams to create 10 new games from scratch, which included combat encounters, etc.
- Coordinated with the UX Team & Engineers to improve player success rate by 100%
- Designed & scripted game-play for an innovative new entertainment medium
- Liaised with the technologists, artists, musicians, and writers to create world-class entertainment
- Played a key role in storytelling, game-balancing, level design, content design, and UI designing
- Created a data-gathering method for game balancing and tuning
- Formed & refined various applications by understanding client's requirements; improved client satisfaction by 30%
- Cooperated with the team members along with other IT personnel to set specifications & design creative prototypes
- Authored high-quality source code to program complete applications before the stipulated time frame
- Performed unit and integration testing before launch; conducted functional and non-functional testing
- Evaluated existing applications and troubleshot & debugged applications to improve the user's overall experience
- GPA: 4/4
- Associate Android Developer | Microsoft | Feb '17
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Key Takeaways
Here are the key takeaways of our Game Designer Resume 2023 Guide:
- Write your current gaming job title in your video game resume.
- Write your name at the topmost part of your game developer resume to give it its unique identity.
- Include a link to your portfolio in the personal information section of your game designer resume. Doing this gives your shortlisting chances a major boost especially if your portfolio is interesting.
- If your game design resume summary is well-written, you get a higher chance of getting shortlisted. We advise you to write it at the end so you can highlight the best and most relevant points of your career trajectory in your summary.
- Your core game designing skills are different from your technical skill or tool knowledge. Distinguish between the two and present them under the 'Key Skills' section and 'Technical Skills' subsection respectively.
- To enhance the readability of your game designer resume, use one-line points to communicate the details of your professional engagements.
- Use achievement figures to quantify your achievements wherever possible. Doing this helps you show the relevance of your skills.
- Give details of your game designer online or offline certifications to show your industry-relevance, and don't forget to mention game design schools and dates.
We hope that you learned something new today.
We also hope that you will be able to implement the tricks we have uncovered in this game developer resume guide.
Go to Hiration resume builder and create a professional resume for yourself. Additionally, reach out to us at support@hiration.com and you can get 24/7 professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries.