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Card Game Design Jobs in Riverside, CA (NOW HIRING)

... games, event tickets, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, Beckett, SGC, and Card ... Design products and services that allow for iterative, autonomous development and future scaling ...

New

... games, event tickets, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, Beckett, SGC, and Card ... Design products and services that allow for iterative, autonomous development and future scaling ...

New

... games, event tickets, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, Beckett, SGC, and Card ... Process design & development: * Perform process design actions to replace current processes with ...

... games, event tickets, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, Beckett, SGC, and Card ... Perform process design actions to replace current processes with more efficient, stable, and higher ...

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Showing results 21-40

Card Game Design information

See Riverside, CA salary details

$82.9K

$136.4K

$204.5K

How much do card game design jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for card game design in Riverside, CA is $136,419.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $111,600.00 and $156,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a card game designer do?

A card game designer is responsible for creating the rules, mechanics, and overall experience of a card game. This includes developing the concept, designing the cards, balancing gameplay, and often playtesting to refine the game's flow and fairness. Card game designers may work on traditional games, collectible card games, or digital card games. Their role often involves collaborating with artists, developers, and publishers to bring the game to market.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a card game designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Card Game Designer, you need a strong understanding of game mechanics, probability, and player psychology, often supported by a background in game design, mathematics, or related fields. Familiarity with digital design tools like Adobe Creative Suite, prototyping software, and sometimes experience with playtesting platforms is typically required. Creativity, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help designers iterate ideas and collaborate with artists and developers. These skills ensure the creation of engaging, balanced, and marketable card games that appeal to a wide audience.

What are some common challenges card game designers face when balancing game mechanics for both new and experienced players?

Card game designers often encounter the challenge of creating mechanics that are engaging for experienced players while still being accessible to newcomers. Balancing complexity and simplicity is key—too many intricate rules can overwhelm beginners, while overly simple mechanics may not hold the interest of seasoned players. Playtesting with diverse groups, gathering feedback, and iterating designs frequently are standard industry practices to achieve this balance. Additionally, designers must ensure that the game's elements promote fairness and minimize dominant strategies to keep gameplay dynamic and enjoyable for all.

What is the difference between Card Game Design vs Board Game Design?

AspectCard Game DesignBoard Game Design
Required CredentialsDesign skills, understanding of game mechanics, creativityDesign skills, understanding of mechanics, prototyping experience
Work EnvironmentCollaborative, often in game studios or freelanceSimilar, with focus on physical components and prototyping
Industry UsageUsed in tabletop gaming, card game companies, indie developersUsed in tabletop gaming, board game publishers, hobby industry
Search & Comparison IntentPeople comparing specific design roles in card gamesPeople interested in designing physical tabletop games

Card Game Design and Board Game Design share many skills, including mechanics development and prototyping. However, card game designers focus specifically on creating engaging card-based gameplay, while board game designers work on entire physical game systems. Both roles are vital in the tabletop gaming industry and often overlap in skills and work environment.

What job categories do people searching Card Game Design jobs in Riverside, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Card Game Design jobs in Riverside, CA are:

What cities near Riverside, CA are hiring for Card Game Design jobs?

Cities near Riverside, CA with the most Card Game Design job openings:

Senior Software Engineer - Beckett

Santa Ana, CA • On-site, Remote

$127K - $168K/yr

Full-time

Posted 10 days ago


Job description

Collectors is the leading creator of innovative technology that provides value-added services for collectors worldwide. We grade, authenticate, vault, and sell millions of record-setting collectibles, all while modernizing and digitalizing the process to further our mission of helping collectors pursue their passions. We're always on the lookout for talented people to join our growing team.


Our services span collectible trading cards, autographs, comic books, coins, video games, event tickets, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, Beckett, SGC, and Card Ladder.


Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than 3000 people across our headquarters in Santa Ana, California and offices in New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, Germany, the UK, and France.


As part of our interview process, we request that candidates have their cameras on during video interviews. This helps foster meaningful conversation and allows us to create an experience that closely resembles our standard working environment. Certain interview steps may take place by phone. For remote roles, and at our discretion, candidates may be asked to participate in an on-site interview as part of the final stages of the process.


We understand there may be occasional circumstances requiring accommodation and are happy to discuss them as needed. Your recruiter will be able to clarify expectations and answer any questions you have.


About the Role

Beckett is the trusted authority in sports card and collectibles grading, pricing, and marketplace services. Our technology organization is in the middle of an exciting modernization: we're rebuilding our platform as a fleet of TypeScript microservices and modern Next.js frontends while responsibly operating and incrementally extracting the legacy systems that still power core revenue.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you are the engine of your team. You own meaningful features end to end - from design through production - across a large share of your team's products, and you work independently on efforts spanning multiple sprints. You raise the bar for the engineers around you through code review, knowledge sharing, and mentorship.

What You'll DoBuild and ship
  • Design and deliver production-ready, easily testable, and understandable solutions that account for known and potential edge cases - across a large number of your team's products, not just a single service.

  • Develop backend services in NestJS 11 / TypeScript with TypeORM and PostgreSQL, and frontend features in Next.js / React 18-19.

  • Contribute to the modernization effort: help replace legacy Java 21 / Spring Boot services and carve functionality out of our PHP monolith into well-bounded modern services.

  • Apply appropriate security, testing (unit, integration, Cypress E2E), documentation, and monitoring best practices as a matter of course.

  • Deploy and operate your services on AWS (ECS, Lambda, SQS) using Docker and infrastructure-as-code (AWS CDK in TypeScript, some Terraform), with CI/CD through CodeBuild.

  • Use AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor) as a core part of your daily workflow - for code generation, refactoring, test authoring, and navigating unfamiliar legacy code - while applying senior-level judgment to review, verify, and own everything you ship.

Execute and deliver
  • Consistently drive larger sets of changes to completion across 2+ sprint efforts.

  • Commit to a realistic amount of work, anticipate blockers and delays proactively, and clarify expectations with stakeholders before problems land on the team.

  • Right-size your own work using a value-vs-cost mindset and help teammates do the same.

Lift the team
  • Recognize and seize opportunities to share knowledge - tech talks, documentation, design reviews - and encourage others to do the same, including effective AI-tool workflows, prompts, and patterns you've developed.

  • Onboard new engineers and volunteer for team-wide responsibilities (on-call improvements, tooling, quality initiatives).

  • Deliver praise and constructive feedback to teammates and your manager, and incorporate feedback in the spirit of continuous learning.

What We're Looking ForRequired
  • 5+ years of professional software engineering experience building and operating production full-stack web applications - you're comfortable owning a feature from the database schema through the API to the rendered UI.

  • Advanced proficiency in TypeScript/Node.js (we use NestJS and Express) or deep experience in Java/Spring Boot with strong motivation to work in TypeScript.

  • Strong relational database skills (PostgreSQL and/or MySQL): schema design, query optimization, and ORM usage (TypeORM, Sequelize, or similar).

  • Proven frontend engineering experience with React (Next.js strongly preferred): component architecture, state management (e.g., Redux or React Query), SSR/ISR, accessibility, and frontend performance.

  • Experience designing and consuming APIs across the stack (REST required; GraphQL a plus), including auth, pagination, and error-handling patterns that hold up in production.

  • Solid grounding in automated testing and CI/CD; you treat tests and observability as part of the definition of done.

  • Experience with AWS and containerized deployment (Docker).

  • Ability to work independently on multi-sprint efforts: you scope, design, communicate, and ship without needing day-to-day direction.

  • Demonstrated fluency with AI developer tooling: hands-on, day-to-day experience using AI coding assistants and agents (Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor, or similar) to accelerate delivery - and the discipline to validate AI-generated code with tests, review, and a clear understanding of what it does.

Nice to Have
  • Experience modernizing or strangling legacy systems (PHP/CodeIgniter, older Java, or .NET Framework).

  • Infrastructure-as-code experience (AWS CDK or Terraform).

  • Familiarity with message-driven architectures (SQS), GraphQL, gRPC, or headless CMS (Strapi).

  • Experience with React Native/Expo mobile development, or Python (FastAPI, data pipelines).

  • Experience building with LLMs, not just using them: LLM API integration (Anthropic/OpenAI), retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings, or agentic workflows (e.g., MCP).

  • Interest in sports cards, gaming, or collectibles!



Collectors uses e-Verify to validate your ability to work legally in the United States.


We are aware that there are instances where individuals are receiving job offers that fraudulently allege to be from Collectors or one of our business units. This type of fraud can be carried out through false websites, through fake e-mails claiming to be from the company or through social media. We never ask for personal information such as your bank account, Social Security numbers or National IDs, nor do we send or request payments for the purchase of business-related equipment. If you suspect fraud, please reach out to interviewfraud@collectors.com.


We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, or other class protected by applicable law. We believe that a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills will better service the diverse community of collectors we support.


If you require an accommodation to apply or interview with us due to a disability or special need, please email interviewaccommodation@collectors.com


U.S. residents: for disclosures relating to personal information we collect during the employment application and recruitment process, please see our Privacy Notice for U.S. Applicants.


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