Game designer

Overview
FarSides is a new online game studio, producing casual multiplayer games that seek to blur the lines between reality and fiction. We are currently developing a story-driven adventure game, played on the Web (see below for more details).

We are looking for a game designer to refine game mechanisms and take responsibility for the whole gamedesign, as well as design and implement mission scenarios.

The game
The game is an adventure that takes place on the web - the real web being the playground of the game. It takes place in the present.

The game can be seen as a mix of alternate reality games ( http://bit.ly/a0KoeJ ) and story-driven simulation games (like Castaway Stories http://bit.ly/bEgaAM ) - the players progressively unfold a story, that will require the players to collaborate to move it forward. It also takes place on the whole Web - players will play by browsing and performing actions on any webpage (like http://www.simsidekick.com/ ). See http://bit.ly/buGSqi and http://bit.ly/bVgaoI for more details. A good inspiration is the Catfish movie, too: see the trailer http://bit.ly/dsHNyx imagining that the player is one of the characters. And for the interface of the game, have a look at the promotional website Catfish makers made: http://www.iamrogue.com/catfish/main.html.

A large part of the context still has to be decided, but the current placeholder for the storyline draws its inspiration from the Gaia theory. During the first minutes of the game, the player is contacted by someone on the web, who catches his attention by revealing strange events that happen on the internet and implying that some conspiracy could be at work, related to our environment and the future of our planet. The player will accomplish tasks on the web, gaining the trust of the organization for whom his contact works, which will open the path for more elaborate tasks and the discovery of a plot that involves Gaia, environmental factions, and its ramifications on the internet.

Gaia's theory will be used the following way in our game : Earth is alive, a sentient being, and is trying to get rid of the disturbing parasites that have started infesting her - us. Global warming, tsunamis, etc. are only the first signs of regulatory systems that are meant to put an end to the human era. However, she's also seeking other means to end the trouble we are causing, and send us signs both in "real life" and on the Web.

The game is still on an early stage of development and conception - it's thus a unique opportunity to help shaping it!

The studio
FarSides is an independent studio, that creates and operates casual multi-player games, for an adult target. Our games are open source ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source ), and we apply the open source philosophy and methods to the video game genre. For example, all the discussions take place within the community, on a public mailing-list. We also use a decentralized model - which basically means that we work over the Internet, telecommuting from different places around the globe.

See http://community.hackit.cx/wiki/Company_manifesto and http://community.hackit.cx/wiki/Social_Contract for more details.

Key responsibilities

 * Refine existing game mechanisms and take responsibility for the whole game design and gameplay pacing, according to the game positioning and in collaboration with the work being done on the game storyline
 * Suggest new game elements, based on community comments, player reactions and story developments
 * Foster community contributions through modular designs that minimize knowledge prerequisites from contributors
 * Model and specify required prototypes, to assess gameplay risks through fast-paced development iterations. Provide support to prototyping by community members
 * Ensure game balance and quality, as well as proper monetization (we follow a free to play business model). Support decisions with quantitative data analysis and model systems and tuning through spreadsheets
 * Design and specify mission scenarios (actions that will be performed on the web), including all supporting gameplay elements. Work with mission scripters to ensure proper delivery, and develop some of the mission scripts yourself. Work closely with the story, development and art teams for requirements
 * Organize playtest sessions, both online and offline. Analyze and report outcomes, along with necessary alterations to the game mechanisms
 * Follow the mailing-list and the forum discussions, interact with the community to provide answers and encourage participation.
 * Analyze and integrate real-time feedback on the game design from leadership and community, based on:
 * Mailing-list, forums, chat, fan sites, social networks;
 * Quantitative data based on players actions inside and outside the game
 * Playtest sessions
 * Play the game on a daily basis and interact with other players to get a permanent feel of the player's experience
 * Create and maintain documentation on the gameplay elements, along with drawings, diagrams, flowchart that help to clearly communicate design functionality. Work collaboratively with community members to improve it, keeping an open mindset to facilitate contributions.
 * Hold brainstorming session through electronic medium (mailing-list, chat...) to creatively and collaboratively resolve gameplay issues
 * Write, edit and post content to the game blog.
 * Contribute ideas to grow and support the game community with in-game events and other initiatives, both online and “in real life”.
 * Maintain an in-depth knowledge of the game genre, of popular game designs for the genre, as well as the pop culture of the audience.
 * Stay up to date with game design best practices and articles, and regularly share that knowledge with project contributors

Profile and qualifications

 * Affinity with innovative uses of the web, with mixing reality and fiction, and with exploring social and political issues on a casual level
 * Experience with working with online communities, though not necessarily professionally - you must know how online communities work
 * High flexibility with regard to change of direction or gameplay rewrites, and no "author complex" - ability to see the game design through the community's eye and identify the parts that capture the players' imagination, to focus on what makes them tick.
 * Participated to the development of at least one game (professionally or as a hobby), in a game designer position. Produced games can be online or offline, but online/multiplayer experience a definite plus.
 * Good understanding of online multiplayer/casual games design principles and techniques. Passionate about casual games, online and offline. A previous experience in casual/social games would be ideal, but we will consider applications from candidates who have a strong profile in the other areas.
 * Broad culture of games (online, board/card games, console...) and capacity to communicate it to others. Affinity with the work of Jesse Schell a plus ( http://artofgamedesign.com/ &amp; http://bit.ly/bkkNWF )
 * Ability to identify what makes proven game mechanisms successful and replicate it, and to maintain a balance between innovation and reuse in game design production
 * Experience with script/code writing. Knowledge of PHP a plus.
 * Experience with statistics and business intelligence tools a plus; if not must have a strong affinity with statistics and be ready to learn and master it quickly
 * Excellent written communication skills, including specification documents, mockups, articles, blog and forums posts. Familiar with conceptualization and production of game design documents.
 * Ability to work collaboratively through online medium (mailing-list, forums), with game story, art and development teams, as well as contributors and community members. Experience writing collaboratively on a wiki a plus.
 * Confidence in working publicly and discussing issues openly - participation to an open source project requires a high sense of transparency
 * Ability to think creatively and analytically
 * Ability to work with high autonomy - telecommuting requires a strong sense of self-discipline, proactiveness and taking responsibility for deadlines
 * Great attention to detail.
 * Fluent in English
 * Ability to consistently meet production schedules and deadlines
 * Solid understanding of both local and global pop culture of the target audience.
 * Display a positive, professional attitude with strong work ethics. Able to focus on solutions rather than problems.

How to apply

 * Being open source, the application process is a bit atypical - it is held transparently on the project mailing-list, which is public and includes contributors and community members.
 * To submit your application, please follow the following steps:
 * Carefully read the current job description and study the provided links (you don't need to read the whole website - just the documents mentioned in this job description). You will likely have a lot of questions in the process - take note of them to be able to ask them later on.
 * Subscribe to the mailing-list by entering your email and name on this form: http://community.hackit.cx/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/bar . Click on the confirmation link you will receive by email. (Warning: the mailing-list can have a lot of trafic on some days - you'll be a bit spammed!)
 * Send an email to [mailto:bar@hackit.cx bar@hackit.cx] to present yourself, with your resume, portfolio (be sure to indicate your contribution for each piece) and salary history/requirement attached. Please send it with a subject using the following format: "[Introduction] &lt;Your Name&gt; - Game designer job". Your email will arrive on the project public mailing-list, so don't be too formal! Instead of writing a cover letter, introduce yourself in the body of the message, and quickly explain what draws you to the project. This message should be personal - no copy &amp; paste. This is also the place to include your first batch of questions about the job, the game and the company.
 * You will then get replies to your email from project members, including answers to your questions. Use the opportunity and keep the discussion alive, to try to get an accurate picture of the project. You will also receive emails about other on-going discussions from the mailing-list - don't hesitate to read them and reply there too, comment and ideas are welcomed!
 * Using the information you have got from the discussions and the game description, write and submit the sample work described below, before November 15th.
 * Discussions about the submitted sample works will happen on the mailing-list - you will thus be able to follow the recrutment process there. In any case, if you have any question, don't hesitate to ask!
 * Sample work required:
 * An example of possible improvement for the game
 * An example of a mission, presented as a gameplay loop (objective, challenge, rewards and steps)

Employment status

 * Freelance contract mission

Contact information

 * Contact name: David Blanchard
 * Email: [mailto:bar@hackit.cx bar@hackit.cx] (public mailing list of the project)

Places to post the ad

 * http://www.linkedin.com/jobs?displayHome=
 * http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/forum.asp?forum_id=8
 * http://gamasutra.com/jobs/
 * http://jobs.insidenetwork.com/jobboard.php
 * http://www.getvideogamejobs.com/
 * http://www.greenlightjobs.com/
 * http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/?search=6687
 * Need to appear on http://www.simplyhired.com/
 * + Use http://www.jobscore.com/ (see demo for list of recruiting websites where they can post automatically, btw)
 * + Use http://recruiting.jobvite.com/

Other

 * http://hiring.monster.com/