Game Designer Intern at thatgamecompany (Shanghai, China)
thatgamecompany· Shanghai, China·
Role details
Work type
Onsite
Employment
Full-Time
Level
Internship
Job description
Join thatgamecompany as a Game Design Intern and craft meaningful gameplay experiences that resonate emotionally with players worldwide.
Responsibilities
- Create and implement gameplay content in our in-house engine, including level setups, node graphs, cutscenes, etc.
- Collaborate with experienced designers to develop creative solutions
- Participate in design brainstorms and playtest sessions
- Use programming skills to implement or refine gameplay features
Criteria
- Currently pursuing a Game Design degree or related majors at a college or university
- Strong attention to player experience and an understanding of game design fundamentals
- At least six months of related experience
- Basic familarity with 3D software such as Maya, Unity, etc.
- Capability to script simple gameplay logic
- Availablity to work onsite in Shanghai for at least two consecutive months
Why work at thatgamecompany
- Culture: The studio describes itself as “compassionate, creative” and values “integrity and personal growth within an environment of intense collaboration and experimentation.” Employee rating on LinkedIn: 4.2/5.0 (11 reviews), with Culture score 4.3, Work-Life 4.2, Compensation 4.2, Career 4.1.
- Remote/Hybrid/Office Policy: Not explicitly stated in provided sources, but headquarters in Santa Monica, California is a physical studio. The company previously planned a second studio in SF Bay Area (cancelled due to COVID) and now operates distributed across 15 countries, suggesting flexible/remote options are possible.
- Notable Perks & Engineering Culture: Emphasis on “making magic” and pushing artistic boundaries; tech stack includes Kubernetes, Docker, Prometheus, Protobuf, Tableau, microservices, and GitHub. Employees come from top entertainment/tech companies (Pixar, Blizzard, Riot Games, Amazon, Unity, etc.), indicating a high-caliber peer group.
- Growth Opportunity: With 24 active job postings (including Engineering, AI, Art, Marketing, Data) and a yearly hiring trend +4.3%, the studio is expanding. Roles such as Senior Data Analyst, Senior Machine Learning Engineer, and 3D Environment Artist signal opportunities to work on flagship products.
- Mission-driven work: Opportunity to contribute to games that aim to make a positive impact on players’ lives and expand the emotional range of the medium.