Game design sounds like magic — dreaming up worlds, mechanics, and characters. But behind every great mobile game is a designer balancing creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork. So what does a typical day actually look like for a game designer at HerbaVitaTov?
Morning: Syncing Up and Reviewing Feedback
The day usually starts around 9:30 AM with a quick team stand-up. Designers, developers, artists, and product managers jump on a short call to sync on progress and blockers. After that, the game designer opens the task board — checking Jira, Trello, or Notion — to plan the day.
Next comes reviewing data and feedback from the previous build. How did players react to the new level mechanics? Are the tutorials working? Were there unexpected drop-offs? A good designer doesn’t just invent — they observe, analyze, and adapt.
Late Morning: Designing Levels or Core Mechanics
Now it’s time to get hands-on. Some mornings are spent building new level layouts, sketching flowcharts, or tweaking enemy behaviors in the editor. Others are for refining a game loop — making sure that reward, risk, and timing feel just right. The designer often prototypes directly in Unity or works closely with the dev team to visualize ideas quickly.
During this time, they might also consult with UX/UI teammates to ensure that the interface matches the gameplay flow. In casual games, every tap counts — and the designer is the one who ensures that tap feels rewarding.
Lunch: Inspiration & Reset
A quick lunch — often shared with other team members, whether in person or over Zoom — is a good time to talk trends. What’s charting on the App Store? What’s that weird game from Korea everyone’s playing? Game designers are constantly absorbing inspiration, whether from games, movies, or TikTok.
Afternoon: Iteration and Playtesting
Back at the desk, it’s time to test. The designer plays the current build, takes notes, and refines weak points. Is the tutorial intuitive? Does the difficulty spike too soon? They may call in a teammate to play while observing reactions silently. These small observations — a raised eyebrow, a moment of hesitation — can reveal more than hours of analytics.
Iteration isn’t just about what to add — it’s often about what to remove. Polish is about restraint, and good designers know when something is fun, and when it’s just noise.
Late Afternoon: Meetings and Documentation
Toward the end of the day, there might be a design review — a focused meeting with the team to evaluate a new feature, mechanic, or theme. The designer explains intent, expected behavior, and dependencies. Good documentation is crucial, so they often update spec docs, flowcharts, and level guidelines so the rest of the team can stay in sync.
Wrapping Up: A Look Ahead
Before logging off, the designer checks tomorrow’s tasks and reflects on what worked today. Game design is never “done.” It’s a living process — part puzzle-solving, part storytelling, part psychology. And that’s what makes it so exciting.
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