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Entry Level Game Design Jobs in Wisconsin (NOW HIRING)

Company Description At Hardin Design & Development, we are passionate about creating awesome ... casual dress code, game room, and a large open office right in the heart of Madison's East ...

New

Company Description At Hardin Design & Development, we are passionate about creating awesome ... casual dress code, game room, and a large open office right in the heart of Madison's East ...

Web Developer - Entry Level

Madison, WI · On-site +1

$55K - $70K/yr

Company Description At Hardin Design & Development, we are passionate about creating awesome ... casual dress code, game room, and a large open office right in the heart of Madison's East ...

Entry Level Game Design information

See Wisconsin salary details

$47.4K

$157.5K

How much do entry level game design jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 28, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level game design in Wisconsin is $150,512.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $156,400.00 and $156,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an entry level game designer?

Entry level game designers are professionals who assist in the creation and development of video games, usually as part of a larger design team. They often focus on tasks such as designing levels, creating game mechanics, writing documentation, and playtesting. These positions are typically suitable for recent graduates or individuals with limited industry experience who want to start a career in game design. Entry level game designers collaborate closely with artists, programmers, and senior designers to bring ideas to life and improve gameplay. Strong creativity, communication skills, and a passion for gaming are important for this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an entry level game designer?

Entry Level Game Designers need a solid understanding of game mechanics, creativity, and basic programming or scripting knowledge, often supported by a degree in game design, computer science, or a related field. Familiarity with game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, as well as tools such as Photoshop or Maya, is typically required. Strong communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills help individuals collaborate effectively and adapt to feedback. These skills and qualities are essential for creating engaging gameplay experiences and contributing successfully to multidisciplinary development teams.

What are some common challenges faced by entry level game designers, and how can they overcome them?

Entry-level game designers often face challenges such as balancing creative ideas with practical limitations like budget, technology, and deadlines. They may also need to adapt quickly to feedback from team members and learn industry-standard tools and workflows. To overcome these challenges, it's helpful to stay open to collaboration, actively seek mentorship from experienced designers, and continuously build technical and communication skills. Embracing constructive criticism and being willing to iterate on designs will help you grow and contribute effectively to the team.

What are the most commonly searched types of Game Design jobs in Wisconsin?

The most popular types of Game Design jobs in Wisconsin are:

What are popular job titles related to Entry Level Game Design jobs in Wisconsin?

For Entry Level Game Design jobs in Wisconsin, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What cities in Wisconsin are hiring for Entry Level Game Design jobs?

Cities in Wisconsin with the most Entry Level Game Design job openings:

Infographic showing various Entry Level Game Design job openings in Wisconsin as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 80% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 15% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $150,512 per year, or $72.4 per hour.

Web Developer - Entry Level

Hardin Design

Madison, WI • On-site, Remote

Full-time

Posted 3 days ago

New


Job description

Company Description

At Hardin Design & Development, we are passionate about creating awesome software, web applications and mobile for our customers. We work with everyone, from startups to the Fortune 500 companies, and take the same degree of pride in our work no matter the client. Our designers create elegant, easy to use interfaces and our developers bring cutting edge expertise to our projects, with an eye for quality, security and bug-free code.
 

We'd love for you to check out some of our favorite projects featured in our portfolio and read about how we've helped our clients accomplish their technology goals. Visit our website at www.hardindd.com and apply to join the Hardin Team today

Job Description

ON SITE ONLY. Our company is open to hybrid models and remote work with trusted long term employees, but new hires must start out working from our Madison office.

This is an entry-level web developer position at Hardin Design & Development. The pay range for this role is between $55,000 to $70,000 annually.

From the top down, our staff adapt quickly and confidently “wear a lot of hats”, and we highly value that in potential new team members.  We believe strongly in choosing the right tool for the job, so our projects can vary widely in the tech stacks we use. We’re looking for individuals with diverse skill sets that share our passion for learning, growing, and making new things work.

We believe that the best way to grow as developers is by tackling new experiences head-on, and our staff, past and present, can attest to that.  Even as an entry-level position, you’ll be expected to fully participate in all aspects of the development process. Responsibilities include web application design and development, daily interaction with clients, and application planning and implementation.

As a full-time (40 hr/wk) position, we are proud to offer an in-network POS healthcare plan with minimum co-pays through Quartz as well as a retirement package. As multiple time winners of Madison Magazine’s Best Places to Work Award, we also offer an easy-going work atmosphere with a casual dress code, game room, and a large open office right in the heart of Madison’s East Washington corridor. There is also the opportunity for career advancement within the company.

Qualifications

A college degree in computer science or related field is preferred, but not required. Other combinations of training and/or experience which can be demonstrated to result in possession of the knowledge, skills and abilities that are needed to perform the tasks of this position will also be considered.

Minimum Qualifications:

  • A solid base-level understanding of basic algorithms and data structures, as well as how to implement/use them is required.  A good candidate should also have in-depth proficiency in one or more programing languages.
  • Preference will be given to candidates with proficiency in relevant languages and technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, etc.  The ability to run and maintain at least one common web application stack (such as LAMP) as well as a background working with relational databases (SQL) is also desired, but not strictly required.
  • The project we are hiring for has a tech stack of PHP and React, knowledge of both is a major plus

Bonus Qualifications:

While not strict requirements for this role, we consider it a plus if a candidate has experience in the following:

  • Experience maintaining infrastructure hosted by Amazon Web Services or a similar cloud provider is a plus. 
  • Strong consideration will be given to candidates with experience working with any common front-end frameworks (ReactJS, VueJS, Angular, etc.) or back-end frameworks (Laravel, Symfony, Express in Node.js, Django in Python, etc.).
  • Experience with CI/CD solutions.
  • Experience with Docker
  • Design, browser compatibility, a demonstration of strong technical proficiency, breadth of knowledge, the ability to learn quickly, and a strong desire to grow as a developer.

Additional Information

Unfortunately, at this time we cannot provide Visa sponsorship. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.