Thread by @joegoroth

I'm looking at a lot of applicants recently, and one area where gaming is super inconsistent is role and level names.
Two roles named the same thing can mean very different things at different places. Here's a quick and dirty guide for things to watch for with design roles

Junior or Associate.

Some companies say junior designer others say associate, but these are almost universally entry level roles. Even at top companies you shouldn't need significant experience to get your foot in the door.

look out for roles like "associate creative director." When the job has a more proper noun than just "designer" at the end, its usually a stepping stone for a high level role.

These roles are not entry level. These often involve running huge orgs or big problem spaces.

Mid/______ designer roles
You'll see lots of companies just looking for "Designer" with no modifier before it.

These are generally mid level roles. 2-3 years experience is the average expectation. With a killer skillset you might be able to land a role here without industry exp

Senior Designer Roles

Here is where the industry is consistent. Almost all studios have a senior design role. In most AAA orgs this means you are an experienced designer with limited leadership responsibilities. 4+ years of experience, expect to do more making and less leading

Lead Designer

Here is where things get messy.

Depending on the size of the game this can be very different.

For a small studio, this could be the highest level design role.

In a big org, there could be 10-30 Lead designers on a game.

Universally a lead design role requires experience. At least 4+ years (like a senior).

Most of these roles are some mix of getting your hands dirty making stuff and leading teams. But you're going to need to be more comfortable leading than doing.

A lead designer is usually leading a team that has more than just designers on it. So for this level of a role you're going to need to be comfortable speaking the language of -Test/Art/Engineering/Production- and fighting for what those people need.

Bigger orgs will have design roles that go past lead designer, lets dive in.

Senior2/Staff/Principal/Master

You might see a Senior 2 Designer/Staff Designer/Principal Designer role.

These roles can have very different titles depending on the location, but generally are for Designers with 7+ years of experience and some craft excellence.

Depending on the company some Principal Design roles might require team leadership, but at most companies this is for designers that deliver a big impact to a game through the things they directly create.

Head of Design/Design Manager/Design Director

Another tricky one, depending on the company this can mean a few different things.

Most of the time Head of Design or Design Director is someone who purely focuses on the Design Organization at a company.

These roles not only require a lot of experience, but really stress the ability to manage people's performance, and build an organization of collaborative powerful people.

At other companies Design Director specifically might refer to a role that is less about people management and more about driving the execution of a creative vision.

Think about a kind-hearted Darth Vader. Someone that you can send in to help get the Death Star back on schedule.

Creative Director

This is primarily used in two different ways, but both require a lot of experience. 3+ years as a lead.

But lets talk about the two most common ways this role is used.

1. This version is the video game's version of a director. They are responsible for the ultimate vision of the game, they need to be able to speak fluently in systems, art, business and narrative. All major creatives report to them. Some very large games may have a few of these.

2. This version of the role that is less about game design and more about aesthetic. Responsible for the creative wrappings (Settings/Art Style) of a game more than how it plays. Generally only 1 on a game, but maybe more on massive projects.
Generally filled from art/narrative

Game Director.
In most cases this is used interchangeably with the first version of Creative director. Need to have significant experience and is the ultimate creative on a game.

In some cases Game Director is a production focused role, not a design focused role. This version focuses less on the creative and more on the why would we make the game and how can we do it?

Until we get more consistent across the industry there are two things I'd always caution.

READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION.

Look at exactly what they say the role is responsible for, look at the expected qualifications. If that doesn't line up your expectations, the role is likely not what you think it is.

ASK EVERYONE IN YOUR INTERVIEW LOOP

You're going to be interviewed by a lot of people, ask each one what they believe the job is. If its not matching up with your expectations, dig into that ambiguity.