Game Designer
September 2021 - September 2023
During my first year at Kwalee, I worked across predominantly on Hypercasual games, taking on responsibilities well beyond what I expected from my first role in the industry. I worked on titles including Skate Rush 3D, Turbo Wheel 3D, Car Dealer 3D, Draw It, and Monster City Smash, gaining experience across game design, level design, economies, systems and data.
On Hypercasual, I quickly became responsible for taking ideas from initial concept through to soft launch. I led updates on hit titles played by millions, including adding leaderboards to Draw It, while also developing and balancing economies and systems, working with data in Unity, and creating level content where needed. This gave me my first real experience owning features and making design decisions based on player data rather than instinct alone.
Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
After a year, I moved to the Casual team to help develop a TriPeaks Solitaire game called Dream Build: Solitaire and initially focused on level design, establishing level design principles and guidelines and helping onboard new level designers. I soon transitioned into a broader Game Designer role, working closely with the Lead Designer to develop new gameplay styles and game modes. We built prototypes, ran playtests and iterated based on player feedback, testing ideas that pushed beyond the established genre conventions.
One of my biggest lessons was learning that what I personally enjoy isn't necessarily what players enjoy. Playtesting repeatedly challenged my assumptions and taught me to separate personal preference from good design - a lesson that has continued to shape how I approach features.
I also became the game's story writer and sole narrative designer, designing the narrative systems and tools that allowed designers to create house renovations and trigger dialogue across the Saga Map. I worked closely with engineering to make these tools quick and intuitive to use and compatible with localisation, while collaborating with artists to bring the characters and world to life.
This role gave me a broad foundation in game development - from economies and level design to systems, narrative, tools and player testing - while teaching me how to confidently take ownership of a feature, collaborate across disciplines and iterate toward what works for players.