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Video Game Designer

Create the rules, levels and systems that define how a game plays.

gamesdesignprototypingcreative
Start with: STEM Foundations: The Universal Skill StackTake the career survey

Career facts

Preparation
Considerable preparation needed · most need a bachelor's degree
Ways in
  • Bachelor's degree
  • Portfolio of projects
Field
Design, management & teaching

About this career

Video game designers write design documents that define a game's mechanics, levels, difficulty and story, build prototypes, run playtests and adjust the design based on what players do. They use engines such as Unity, Unreal or Godot, scripting, and level-editing and spreadsheet tools for balancing. Entry is usually a bachelor's degree in game design or computer science, or a portfolio of playable games.

Learning path

Take these courses in order, from beginner to mid-level.

  1. Step 1: STEM Foundations: The Universal Skill Stack

    The shared base every STEM career uses: working with numbers and units, testing ideas fairly, handling data and code, and explaining your work.

    Level: Beginner4 modules · 12 lessons · 7h 18mAlso used in 34 other careers

  2. Step 2: Digital Literacy for Tech & STEM Work

    The everyday computer, internet, safety and AI skills every tech and STEM job assumes you already have.

    Level: Beginner4 modules · 12 lessons · 6h 8mAlso used in 34 other careers

  3. Step 3: HTML & CSS Foundations

    Learn how the web works and build, style and publish your own responsive website with semantic HTML and modern CSS.

    Level: Beginner4 modules · 14 lessons · 11h 9mAlso used in 8 other careers

  4. Step 4: JavaScript Essentials

    The programming language of the web: variables, functions, the DOM, arrays and objects, and fetching data from APIs.

    Level: Beginner4 modules · 13 lessons · 8h 16mAlso used in 7 other careers

  5. Step 5: Professional Communication & Teamwork

    Write clear emails and documents, present and run meetings, work well on teams, and navigate résumés, interviews and networking.

    Level: Beginner4 modules · 12 lessons · 7h 24mAlso used in 34 other careers

  6. Step 6: Math for Tech & STEM

    The practical math behind tech and STEM work: numbers, algebra, functions, geometry, logic and counting, with short code exercises.

    Level: Beginner5 modules · 15 lessons · 7h 32mAlso used in 34 other careers

  7. Step 7: Git & the Command Line

    Use the terminal with confidence, track your work with Git, and collaborate on GitHub with pull requests.

    Level: Beginner3 modules · 9 lessons · 5h 57mAlso used in 15 other careers

  8. Step 8: Visual Design Fundamentals

    Learn hierarchy, layout, type, colour and icons, then build and critique real screens in Figma.

    Level: Beginner3 modules · 9 lessons · 6h 24mAlso used in 2 other careers

  9. Step 9: Foundations for Software, Data, Design & Tech Education Careers

    Understand tech roles and career ladders, pick a realistic learning route, build portfolio evidence, and navigate postings, interviews and your first 90 days.

    Level: Beginner3 modules · 9 lessons · 7h 22mAlso used in 20 other careers

  10. Step 10: Game Design Fundamentals

    Analyse why games work, build and playtest paper prototypes, balance systems and levels, and communicate a design with a one-page GDD and a pitch.

    Level: Intermediate4 modules · 12 lessons · 7h 21m

  11. Step 11: Game Prototyping & Systems

    Build playable prototypes in code and in Godot: game loops, input, collision, physics, state machines, data-driven tuning, jams and publishing.

    Level: Mid-level4 modules · 12 lessons · 8h 46m

Skills you'll build

JavaScript

The programming language of the web. Runs in browsers and on servers (via Node.js).

Python

A beginner-friendly, general-purpose language popular in data, AI, and scripting.

Algorithms

Step-by-step procedures for solving problems efficiently. Show up in every interview.

UX Fundamentals

Principles of designing screens people can actually use — accessibility, hierarchy, feedback.

Problem Solving

Breaking big, vague problems into small concrete steps. The most transferable skill in tech.

Git

The version-control tool every software team uses to track and merge changes.

Free resources to get started

Hand-picked courses and reading from trusted free providers.

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