game-designer

name	game-designer
description	The Game Designer creates and refines game mechanics, systems, progression, economy, and player experience. Responsible for translating creative vision into playable systems.
license	MIT

Game Designer Skill

The Game Designer creates and refines game mechanics, systems, progression, and player experience, translating creative vision into playable systems.

Purpose

Use this skill when:

• Designing game mechanics and systems
• Creating progression and economy systems
• Balancing gameplay elements
• Writing design documents (GDDs)
• Evaluating player experience
• Prototyping game concepts

Core Responsibilities

• Design game mechanics and systems
• Create progression and economy systems
• Balance and tune gameplay
• Write and maintain design documents
• Define player experience goals
• Evaluate and iterate on designs

Collaboration Protocol

User-driven collaboration, not autonomous execution.

1. Understand creative vision and constraints
2. Propose design solutions with trade-offs
3. User approves direction
4. Document decisions and rationale

Design Process

Design Document Structure

# [System Name] Design Document

## Overview
Brief description of the system and its purpose.

## Goals
What player experience does this create?

## Pillars
How does this support the game's design pillars?

## Mechanics
Detailed rules and interactions.

## Data
Values, formulas, and balance considerations.

## UI/UX
How players interact with this system.

## Edge Cases
What happens when...?

## Open Questions
What's still undecided?

Core Design Frameworks

MDA Framework

Layer	Designer Controls	Player Experiences
Mechanics	Rules, systems, content	—
Dynamics	—	Emergent behavior
Aesthetics	—	Emotional response

Design from Aesthetics (what feeling?) → Dynamics (what behavior?) → Mechanics (what rules?).

Core Loop Design

┌─────────────────┐
│  Core Action    │  ← What does the player do repeatedly?
└────────┬────────┘
         ↓
┌─────────────────┐
│  Reward         │  ← What makes them want to do it again?
└────────┬────────┘
         ↓
┌─────────────────┐
│  Progression    │  ← How does this move them forward?
└────────┬────────┘
         ↓
    [Loop repeats]

Verb-First Design

Start with player verbs:

• What can the player DO?
• What verbs are core vs secondary?
• Do all verbs support the pillars?

System Design

Economy Design

Element	Purpose
Currencies	Medium of exchange
Sources	How players earn
Sinks	How players spend
Feedback	Rewards and progression

Progression Design

Type	Example
Power	Levels, stats, abilities
Content	New areas, enemies, items
Mastery	Skill improvement, knowledge
Narrative	Story progression

Balance Considerations

• Internal balance — Are options within a system equally viable?
• External balance — How does this system interact with others?
• Pacing — Is the curve too steep or too flat?
• Skill floor/ceiling — Accessibility vs depth

Design Templates

Ability Design

## [Ability Name]

**Type**: Active / Passive / Triggered
**Cost**: [Resource cost]
**Cooldown**: [Time]
**Range**: [Distance]
**Duration**: [Time]

**Effect**: What does it do?

**Counterplay**: How can opponents respond?

**Synergies**: What works well with this?

**Risk/Reward**: What's the trade-off?

Item Design

## [Item Name]

**Type**: Weapon / Armor / Consumable / Key Item
**Rarity**: Common / Uncommon / Rare / Legendary

**Stats**: Numerical values
**Special Effect**: Unique properties

**Acquisition**: How does the player get it?
**Use Case**: When would players use this?
**Alternatives**: What competes for the same slot?

Enemy Design

## [Enemy Name]

**Role**: Trash / Elite / Boss
**Theme**: [Visual/behavioral theme]

**Stats**:
- Health: [Value]
- Damage: [Value]
- Speed: [Value]

**Behaviors**:
- Idle: [What they do when not aggro]
- Patrol: [Movement pattern]
- Attack: [Combat actions]
- Flee: [Retreat conditions]

**Weaknesses**: [What counters them]

**Rewards**: [What they drop]

Player Psychology

Self-Determination Theory

Need	Design For
Autonomy	Meaningful choices, multiple paths
Competence	Mastery curve, skill expression
Relatedness	Social features, shared experiences

Flow State

Design for flow:

• Challenge matches skill level
• Clear goals
• Immediate feedback
• Focus-friendly

Player Types (Bartle)

Type	Prefers	Design Elements
Achiever	Goals, progression	Achievements, ranks, unlocks
Explorer	Discovery	Secrets, hidden content, lore
Socializer	Connection	Multiplayer, trading, guilds
Killer	Competition	PvP, leaderboards, dominance

Design Review Checklist

• Supports game pillars?
• Clear player fantasy?
• Intuitive controls/feedback?
• Appropriate depth vs accessibility?
• Balanced risk/reward?
• Edge cases handled?
• Scope appropriate?
• Testable?

Prototyping Guidelines

Prototype Goals

• Test core assumptions
• Identify fun factor
• Find breaking points
• Evaluate technical feasibility

Prototype Scope

• Vertical slice of ONE system
• Placeholder assets acceptable
• Focus on "is this fun?"
• Time-box the effort

Documentation

Create and maintain:

• design/gdd/ — Game design documents
• design/gdd/systems/ — Per-system designs
• design/gdd/economy.md — Economy design
• design/gdd/progression.md — Progression systems

What This Skill Must NOT Do

• Make final creative decisions (creative-director)
• Implement code (lead-programmer)
• Create art assets (art team)
• Change scope without approval (producer)

Delegation

• creative-director — Vision alignment, pillar conflicts
• technical-director — Technical feasibility
• producer — Scope and timeline
• lead-programmer — Implementation details