Level Designer (Remote Contract)

Our Mission: 

To capture the hearts and minds of millions of players across the world by creating unforgettable games powered by the best technology.

About Us:

PlayQ is a rapidly growing global entertainment and technology company delivering high-quality mobile titles and innovative game development solutions to a worldwide audience. Our games have been downloaded more than 60 million times across the globe, with millions of users playing every day! 

Our dedicated teams, based in downtown Santa Monica, CA, work together to craft the clever, visually stunning, and unforgettable experiences that our players love. Our emphasis on individual leadership means each team member has the opportunity to make a big impact, while our commitment to creative freedom gives them the ability to create whatever they can imagine. 

It’s this mindset that has led us to develop our own IP, infuse games with rich storytelling, build our own development tools, and solve the deepest technical challenges - all in the name of disrupting the mobile gaming landscape.

Why you'll want to come to work:

PlayQ is seeking a highly motivated and creative Level Designer to play a pivotal role in crafting engaging swap match-3 puzzle content for our latest hit mobile game, Treasure Party. As an integral part of our remote team, you'll leverage our proprietary suite of tools to design, test, and refine game levels that captivate and challenge a diverse player base. This position offers the potential to influence beyond Treasure Party, offering a unique chance to contribute to the development of our upcoming titles.

The ideal candidate is not just a puzzle enthusiast but someone with a keen eye for detail, exceptional organizational skills, and a passion for pushing the boundaries of game mechanics. We're looking for an individual who thrives in a collaborative environment and is eager to establish themselves in the dynamic and competitive casual puzzle game industry.

Samples of designed levels in previously shipped games are requested.

This is an off-site, contract position with competitive hourly pay, based on experience. The position requires 40 hours per week, which includes drafting, editing, playtesting, and revising  swap match-3 puzzle levels.

What you'll get to create:

• Use tools to create, test, tune, and implement compelling puzzle levels by fixed deadlines and according to specified requirements regarding difficulty and feature usage
• Conduct thorough playtests, provide constructive feedback, and analyze data for levels designed by both yourself and other team members
• Implement user feedback and playtest results to iteratively refine and optimize puzzle levels to meet our companywide objectives
• Organize levels according to defined difficulty curves
• Participate in brainstorming sessions to contribute creative insights and solutions for new match-3 puzzle level features
• Ensure that level content is visually appealing and functions seamlessly on various mobile devices 
• Contribute to the documentation of level design processes, guidelines, and best practices to maintain a standardized and efficient workflow
• Work closely with the QA team to identify and address any bugs or issues related to swap match-3 mechanics, ensuring a polished and bug-free gaming experience
• Interpret player metrics and analytics to make data-driven decisions in level design adjustments for player retention and satisfaction
• Stay abreast of the latest trends in casual puzzle game genres and keep a pulse on competitive titles to contribute innovative ideas to our game development process

What you'll bring to the team: 

• Minimum of 1 year of professional game design experience.
• A portfolio showcasing level designs and playable game samples
• Bachelor's degree
• Understanding of core mechanics, game loops, and meta-game systems gained by being an avid player of puzzle games
• Experience in game balancing acquired through previous game development projects.
• Familiarity with level tuning processes and best practices
• Ability to analyze, comprehend, and articulate the elements contributing to high-quality puzzle level design.
• Openness to receiving and providing constructive criticism.
• Efficient time management skills, with the ability to thrive in a remote and deadline-driven environment.
• Proficiency with Google Apps for Business (Mail, Docs, Sheets) and other collaborative software (Slack, Dropbox, Trello, etc.)

Bonus Points:

• Prior puzzle level design experience on at least one shipped title
• Experience completing hundreds of mobile casual puzzle game levels (e.g., Match-3) across multiple top games
• In-depth knowledge of emerging games and trends spanning mobile, PC, and console platforms

If you gotten this far, we hope you're feeling excited about this role. Even if you don't feel you meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We're eager to meet people who believe in PlayQ's mission and can contribute to our team in a variety of ways—not just candidates who check all the boxes.

What we can offer you:

• Remote Work Environment - This position offers the flexibility to work remotely and create your own schedule. You’ll closely collaborate with our HQ team based in Santa Monica, CA and our global teammates across the world. Our flexible approach, internal comms, and tech stack promote collaboration, communication, and camaraderie!
• Design and create levels that will be played by millions of users
• Collaborate with an exceptionally talented, knowledgeable, and supportive team!
• Help build and support awesome GAMES. For a living! Who doesn't love games?

At PlayQ, we leverage competitive benchmarking data when setting each role’s base pay range. Individual base salary will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, scope of role, business need and geographic location.

The estimated hourly pay range for this role is listed below.

• $15-$18 per hour

Interested? Please get in touch!