Lead Game Designer, Mobile Entertainment
Hands-On Mobile, Inc.
San Francisco
, Ca
www.handson.com
Hands-On Mobile is a leading global publisher of mobile entertainment products. Our diverse catalogue includes games, applications and personalization suites from top brands such as Activision (Guitar Hero), Billboard, CBS, LEGO, Marvel, NBA, Universal, Paramount Pictures, and World Poker Tour. The Hands-On Mobile Developer Network (HDN) brings mobile development to the masses enabling developers to create and distribute mobile applications through Hands-On’s core platform and ecosystem.
Position Overview:
We are seeking an ambitious game designer with a serious interest in designing for the mobile platform to assist in building out our games development studio. This doesn’t mean simplistic retro-game development, but rather the creation of products which suit the mass-market nature of the mobile gaming market. You will be working in a wide array of genres and styles, often incorporating community-based connected features and web companion products into the overall design.
You will be working both in day-to-day project design work, and also with our product management group and the rest of the design team on developing new ideas and taking them through pre-production to green light. You will oversee the staffing and management of the design team.
Ideally, you'll have 3-6 years of game-design experience, with multiple shipped titles under your belt. Experience with online connected gaming is a plus, as is experience with mobile. Good in-person presenting skills are also highly valuable.
Responsibilities:
- Create and design fun, compelling games for the mobile market across a range of devices, including original IP and licensed products
- Work closely with Art, Engineering, and Product Management staff to ensure the highest quality gaming experience on every mobile device
- Ability to work within short development cycles
- Oversee the staffing and management of the design team
Pre-production:
- Liaise with the Product Management group to shepherd products from initial ideas or market requirements through the green-lighting process and into full production.
- Concept and design presentations relevant to the sales and marketing teams.
- Work on licensor approval processes where necessary.
- In-person presentation of concept work.
- Work with Engineers/Product Management/Artists to create mock-ups and prototypes.
Production:
- Internal design documentation relevant to the Engineering and Art teams.
- Planning for porting to different screen sizes and handset capabilities
- Functional specification relevant to QA
- Day-to-day game system and content design duties
- Keep up-to-date on carrier requirements and manage their impact upon the design.
Post-production
- Provide support to the porting and QA teams to ensure that the ported product matches with the original vision across the full range of handsets.
Required Qualifications:
The successful candidate will have:
- 3-6 years experience in a lead design role, either in console, PC, or mobile.
- Keen insight into gameplay mechanics and game balance
- Excellent level layout skills and gameplay ramping judgment
- Demonstrated ability to understand technology – high user of web and computer applications. Understanding of mobile phone functionality desirable (though training will be given to an otherwise suitable candidate).
- Excellent understanding of technical limitations on constrained systems such as mobile handsets.
- Excellent grasp of content generation tools such as Flash, Mappy, Photoshop or their equivalents.
- Awareness of key competitors in the mobile games market.
- A knowledge of mass-market, “non-hardcore” gaming.
- A forward-looking view of the possibilities of mobile gaming.
- Excellent verbal, written, and visual communication skills, with obsessive attention to detail and excellent working habits.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with networked/connected games a plus
