Sr. Gameplay Systems Designer
Westwood, MA

Job Description

ABOUT GHOST STORY GAMES

Ghost Story Games (formerly known as Irrational Games) is a self-publishing game studio owned by Take-Two Interactive. Our mission is simple: to create immersive, story-driven videogames for people who love games that ask something of them.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We're looking for an experienced systems designer to help build the best possible gameplay experience for our next project. You have a strong understanding of global balance, gameplay pacing and level design and keep a holistic view of how it all fits together in moment to moment gameplay. You have a strong ability to deconstruct high level gameplay systems, breaking them down into specific technical details, features and tasks as well as possess the technical acumen to dive in and hook it all up in a highly systemic game.

WHAT WE OFFER

* The opportunity to work on a creatively ambitious project in the immersive sim genre.
* A world-class team. We are proud to be home to some of the most talented, smartest, nicest and hardest-working colleagues. We make mistakes sometimes, but we help each other by finding mistakes early and depending on each other to fix them quickly.
* We are a core development team of just under 40 people and work closely with specialist outsource groups and contractors when necessary.
* Open Communication: Our team members are welcome to join any meeting, and we have a flat structure. Do you have a question or a concern? Just walk up to anyone and ask! Team-based decision making is important to us, regardless of your position - every opinion counts and is considered.
* Flexible Hours: We understand that sometimes people need to juggle work and family life, so we have flexible work hours and a support structure that allows people to work from home if needed. Every Friday is a default WFH day for us, so no meetings planned that day!
* The Space: We love our studio space and all the comfortable perks that come with it, such as a fully stocked kitchen (drinks, fruit, snacks, breakfast food), plenty of shops, restaurants, services and urgent care within walking distance, a game room, a quiet room, outdoor deck, free parking, public transportation connections including the Amtrak train into Boston + NY and maybe, just maybe, we have a bathysphere whiskey bar.
* Free Merchandise: Every new employee is welcomed with an onboarding swag package to make sure they blend right in. Additionally, each of our team members can expect to receive a new merchandise item every time one goes live in our fan store. For fans of other Take-Two studios, there is a discounted employee store where you can find the latest games and swag from our sister studios.
* On-Site Support: Our world-class IT and Operations teams make sure that you get what you need to do what you do best. They keep us working, fed, hydrated and happy. Full team-catered lunches for new employee welcomes or significant team meetings? Receiving your online shopping orders? Getting you an aspirin when needed? They have your back!

Great Place to Work® has certified our workplace culture. At Ghost Story Games, 100 percent of employees say their workplace is great, which ties us for first spot in the games industry.

RESPONSIBILITIES

* Work directly with Creative Director Ken Levine on design, prototyping and fostering of game systems and balance in highly dynamic, non-scripted FPS encounters.
* Implement and balance gameplay features from initial design to final polish, working with team members across disciplines where needed.
* Author, revise and provide feedback on internal design documentation, including feature specifications and implementation guides.
* Collaborate with the design team to incorporate systems into level gameplay and maintain overall balance between multiple gameplay systems.
* Continually iterate, balance and tune features and gameplay based on feedback from design leads, QA and playtesting.

REQUIREMENTS

* 5+ years of design experience on PC or console games in a systems design capacity.
* Have worked on projects throughout the entire production cycle, from concepting through ship.
* Systems Design credit on a title that we love J.
* Strong skills in design/scripting (Unreal 4 experience preferred).
* Ability to work independently to diagnose and solve problems; to work within a schedule; and to deliver effectively to deadlines.
* Excellent communication, collaboration, interpersonal and organizational skills.
* A strong command of the English language, both written and verbal.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

* Familiarity with highly systemic games with procedural elements.
* Experience with design for shooters, immersive sims and/or action RPGs.
* Experience with Perforce or similar source control solutions.

WHEN APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION

Please have played or at least be familiar with our legacy games System Shock 2, BioShock and BioShock Infinite. View this video from Ken Levine's 2014 GDC talk which explains some of the high-level concepts for the game we're working on.