13 Game Design Entry Level Jobs to Kickstart Your Career

Game design entry level jobs are more accessible than ever, but the variety can be overwhelming—especially if you’re aiming to turn creativity and collaboration into a serious career.

We break down 13 industry roles, highlighting not just the day-to-day skills, but also the unique growth paths and creative impact each position offers.

Whether you write, code, organize, or illustrate, there’s a starting point here that fits your strengths.

And wherever you begin, you can collaborate with other game designers on WriteSeen—sharing ideas, refining projects, and growing together in a space built for creative progress.

1. Junior Game Designer

Step into the world of game design as a Junior Game Designer. This is often your entry ticket if you crave creative problem-solving, real teamwork, and crave broad exposure fast. It’s where you learn how games get shaped, critiqued, and rebalanced, all under the guidance of battle-tested pros.

How Junior Game Designers Add Value

• Support brainstorming sessions for new mechanics and gameplay features, making each prototype stronger.

• Tackle documentation and organize design details, building a reputation as a team player who doesn’t miss the small stuff.

• Field feedback, run version control tools, and adapt your designs—all with a persistence that shows you’re serious about growth.

A Junior Game Designer’s toolkit includes iterative prototyping, researching reference titles, and organizing playtest data—skills that’ll carry you for years. If you want fast-tracked learning and don’t mind starting small, this is your launch pad.

Research-driven design, paired with responsible documentation, wins trust and opens the door to senior roles—and this starts day one in junior positions. It’s also one of the most sought-after game design entry level jobs for creatives who want to grow fast and build real industry value.

On WriteSeen, game designers can build a public project library, gather peer feedback, and quietly connect with collaborators—all while keeping full control. It’s a space for iteration, not just presentation.

2. Level Designer

Level Designers sculpt how players experience a game’s world—creating the flow, pace, and drama of every encounter. This is the role if you’re obsessed with turning spaces into stories.

Key Wins for Level Designers

• Build whitebox prototypes with engines like Unity or Unreal, giving art, narrative, and gameplay teams something real to react to.

• Refine player moments and fix navigation hiccups based on real playtest data, directly impacting user satisfaction rates.

• Maintain detailed maps and spatial notes, using the same kind of clear referencing and citation that researchers rely on for accuracy and credibility.

If structuring unforgettable quests and visual storytelling hooks you, Level Design focuses your creativity while teaching you industry-standard tools—a must for ambitious newcomers. That’s why it continues to be a standout among game design entry level jobs, offering hands-on creative impact from day one.

What Makes a Strong Level Designer

• You build environments that guide behavior, much like a good research outline guides logic.

• You create portfolio pieces early that showcase your inventive problem-solving—your fast path to recruiter attention.

• You stand at the crossroad of art, narrative, and playability, pulling all pieces together in each layout.

3. QA Game Tester

You’ll never understand game quality better than by rolling up your sleeves in QA. Entry-level QA Testers are pivotal; they play through builds, hunt bugs, and keep design teams honest.

QA is for you if you spot details others miss and love seeing how whole systems fit. It’s also the most approachable way to land in game studios without a specialized degree.

Key Responsibilities of QA Game Testers

• Document and report every bug with precision and clarity—each submission is proof of your commitment to transparency.

• Analyze playtest feedback, flag recurring issues, and use structured bug databases to support design adjustments.

• Uphold data privacy, even when working on unreleased builds—a clear parallel to protecting sensitive research.

QA is all about showing reliability under pressure and building trust across teams. Nail this, and progression to specialized roles is within reach. QA Tester roles are among the most accessible game design entry level jobs—especially for those breaking in without a formal tech background.

WriteSeen gives QA testers a place to document test logs, track feedback, and build a visible record of contribution across projects—all in one place. It’s a quiet but powerful way to show your value beyond the bug list.

4. Junior Technical Designer

If you speak both art and code, you’ll thrive here. Junior Technical Designers are the bridge: scripting features, creating tools, and decoding bottlenecks that stop great ideas from shipping.

• Script gameplay functions, automate tasks, and help teams move faster with technical solutions.

• Prototype features, troubleshoot bugs, and log workflows—making transparent, shareable progress that stands up to scrutiny.

• Use and explain AI-assisted tools with openness and rigor, proving your versatility across departments.

We see time and again that those who develop transparent coding habits and share knowledge rise fastest. You’ll find this path suits you if you want to solve hard problems and see your creative ideas tested daily. Among game design entry level jobs, it stands out for its rare blend of technical precision and creative problem-solving.

5. Game Writer or Junior Narrative Designer

Narrative design is for those who think in story arcs, dialog beats, and world lore—and who want to collaborate, not just create in isolation. You bring characters to life and stitch together the quest lines and micro-content that make players care.

As a junior, you will:

• Draft dialog, side missions, and background lore that feels lived-in.

• Build and maintain lore bibles, annotating details for reliable referencing across your entire game team.

• Collaborate on localization or micro-content, ensuring every region and release gets your story beats right.

Using clear, structured documentation of story elements, you’ll become indispensable as a connector between design, art, and narrative teams.

6. Junior Systems Designer

Game systems are fragile and complex. Junior Systems Designers keep them balanced, testing every tweak with hard data, not guesswork. If you love spreadsheets, probability, or progression charts, this is your lane.

• Tune combat, economics, and reward structures with documented, evidence-based methods.

• Run A/B playtests and gather real player data before pushing updates to live builds.

• Collaborate with programmers and analysts, showing iterative thinking and a passion for making every change measurable.

Your analytical skill and consistency in tracking changes shine here. It’s a technical, numbers-first role where you can visibly improve play experiences week after week.

With WriteSeen, you can log design iterations, share balancing notes, and join a global community of designers who value clarity, testing, and iteration. It's a space to show how your decisions evolve—and why they matter.

7. Production Assistant (Games)

Production Assistants are project flow champions. They coordinate schedules, track assets, and make sure everyone hits their marks. This is for you if people trust you to keep details tidy, meetings productive, and progress unblocked.

What Sets Excellent Production Assistants Apart

• Maintain meeting notes, project logs, and clear archives—elevating transparency and accountability for teams of all sizes.

• Use secure, organized data management for sensitive assets, following best practices straight from research.

• Jump into multiple departments, gaining exposure to design, QA, and art, and learning how every part connects.

Meticulous record-keeping and clear communication ensure every creative gets heard, every asset gets tracked, and teams run stronger.

In these first seven entry-level roles, you gain essential skills, industry visibility, and a real sense of how modern games are built—step by step, tool by tool, system by system. Together, they form the backbone of game design entry level jobs across today’s studios, from indie teams to major developers.

8. Associate Producer

Associate Producers keep projects on track. You handle a mix of management, teamwork, and daily problem-solving. If your skill is seeing obstacles early and clearing the way, this job grows your leadership, fast.

It’s a fit for those who like to organize, help teams deliver, and keep everyone informed.

Why Associate Producers Matter

• Drive sprint planning and milestone tracking so nothing slips through the cracks.

• Act as a link between teams—art, QA, design—promoting progress and strong communication.

• Handle project reports and retrospectives, turning lessons into actionable steps.

Every successful game needs a calm, organized force guiding the crew—Associate Producers do just that.

9. Marketing Assistant (Games)

If you care about how games meet the world, a Marketing Assistant role gives you a front-row seat. You will collaborate on campaigns, content creation, and social buzz. Your insights on design and audience will shape how games get noticed.

What You’ll Do as a Marketing Assistant

• Help with community event planning, social media posts, and promotional assets that spark engagement.

• Analyze player trends, feedback, and analytics to test what works—and fix what doesn’t.

• Create factual, clear content and campaign reports, always crediting ideas and keeping data secure.

Marketing is perfect if you’re creative, adaptable, and not afraid to try new ideas to build audiences for great games.

On WriteSeen, you can share campaign concepts, test messaging across formats, and join a global community of creatives working at the edge of game promotion. It's a space to refine your voice—and see what actually resonates.

10. Community Manager (Assistant or Junior)

Community Managers build real connections. You serve players and creators every day—collecting feedback, moderating forums, and boosting engagement.

If you’re empathetic and love communicating, this job puts you right at the game/creator-player crossroads.

Why Community Matters

• Collect, organize, and report player feedback—giving your team the full story, not just a sample.

• Moderate discussions with fairness and transparency, keeping your community safe and positive.

• Summarize trends and insights into clear, actionable reports that guide future updates.

Players stick with games that listen. Here, your voice helps teams shape better updates and keep loyalty strong.

11. Junior Programmer (Games)

Junior Programmers write, fix, and improve code that brings game ideas to life. If you love collaborating with creative teams, this role is your entry to making mechanics work seamlessly.

You’re ideal if logic and communication are your strengths.

What Great Junior Programmers Do

• Implement features and tweak performance based on designer specs, learning each build cycle.

• Keep code transparent and well-documented—sharing progress and applying code review feedback.

• Use changelogs and commit comments to track your impact and show you care about the team’s workflow.

Programming isn’t just technical. The best juniors explain their work and help others grow.

12. Junior Concept Artist or Character Artist

If you speak through visuals, a junior art role lets you bring worlds and characters to life. You transform rough ideas into reference sketches, polished sheets, and amazing first looks.

This work is for you if you crave seeing ideas turned into real art that guides teams.

Core Ways Artists Drive Games

• Produce character art, environments, and style guides, following a brief for each project.

• Build mood boards and reference libraries, making sure every style detail is credible and tracked.

• Use AI-powered art tools responsibly—clearly showing your process and sources.

Share your methods, keep your files organized, and track each art pass. That’s how portfolios—and reputations—grow.

13. Junior Animator

Motion is what makes characters real. Junior Animators breathe life into models, giving personality and emotion to every move.

Perfect for anyone who thinks in actions, timing, and visual storytelling.

Key strengths:

• Refine animations with feedback from leads, focusing on clarity and quick iteration.

• Reference video or live action to back up each creative choice—supporting your work with credible material.

• Explain changes through simple annotations and clear breakdowns.

Animation is a team sport. Document, review, and stay open to feedback each step of the way.

WriteSeen lets junior animators share work-in-progress clips, receive constructive feedback, and connect with a global creative community—all while building a portfolio that grows with every frame.

Navigating Your Game Design Career: Skills, Portfolios, and Applications

Breaking in is not just about talent. You need the right habits and a standout portfolio. This is where most candidates miss out—but you won’t.

Build Your Career Toolkit

• Show playable samples. Create downloadable levels, prototypes, or mods so others can judge your skills.

• Use feedback to iterate and improve—each version is proof you know how to grow.

• Get involved in game jams or group projects, building a network and resume at the same time.

Portfolios are your proof—your work, protected and sharable, draws eyes. At WriteSeen, you can securely store your projects, get unbiased peer feedback, and connect with industry scouts—all while keeping full control over your creations.

Fast FAQ for Job Seekers

• What skills are hot? Collaboration, documentation, data handling, quick learning, and a flexible mindset.

• Do you need to code? Not always, but even simple logic skills set you apart.

• How do you stand out? Use tailored resumes, active portfolios, and clear, honest attribution in your work.

This applies across all game design entry level jobs, where clarity, collaboration, and solid documentation are what set you apart.

Action drives results: share work, collect feedback, apply fast, and use every project to upgrade your skills.

Conclusion

The world of game design entry level jobs is richer than ever—spanning creative, technical, and organizational roles that let you build real skills while contributing to games people love. Whether you're scripting interactions, designing levels, animating characters, or managing production, each job offers a unique way to gain traction in the industry from day one.

Success at this stage isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. Studios want learners who document their work, collaborate with purpose, and iterate with care. By choosing a role that matches your strengths and investing in your craft, you’re already ahead of the curve. The key is to act, refine, and keep showing up.

Store your projects, build your portfolio, and connect with studios on WriteSeen—your launchpad for game design entry level jobs. The sooner you start sharing your skills, the faster you grow. Opportunity rewards those who move.