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Trainee Game Narrative Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

OtherSide Entertainment

$140K - $170K/yr

... shared narrative; the kind of games that are powered by our players' vision as much as our own ... If you are a Lead Game Designer who wants to stretch your design muscles, help build a brand new ...

Art Center

Part-time Faculty Game Design

Pasadena, TX · On-site

$12.58K/mo

... designers, and the ability to teach courses ranging from systems design and narrative design to ... Game Systems and Mechanics * Level Design * Narrative and Worldbuilding * Visual Scripting and ...

Nerd Ninjas

Sr. UI/UX Designer (Remote)

Camas, WA · Remote

Cross-functional collaboration with game designers, artists, engineers, and narrative designers to implement and refine UX features. * Be a champion of user empathy and define user insights, such as ...

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How much do trainee game narrative designer jobs pay per hour?

As of May 28, 2026, the average hourly pay for trainee game narrative designer in the United States is $36.10, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $29.57 and $38.70 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Trainee Game Narrative Designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Trainee Game Narrative Designer, you need strong storytelling abilities, a grasp of narrative structure, and often a degree in creative writing, game design, or a related field. Familiarity with interactive storytelling tools like Twine, Ink, or game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine is typically required. Collaboration, open-mindedness, and clear communication help you work effectively within multidisciplinary teams and incorporate feedback. These skills ensure compelling, cohesive narratives that enhance player engagement and contribute to a game's overall success.

What types of projects and collaboration can a Trainee Game Narrative Designer expect during their first year on the job?

As a Trainee Game Narrative Designer, you will typically work on smaller narrative tasks, such as writing dialogue, creating character backstories, and assisting with quest or mission design. You can expect to collaborate closely with senior narrative designers, game writers, and other departments like art and game design to ensure consistency and coherence in the story elements. Early on, you may also contribute to brainstorming sessions and playtesting, receiving feedback to refine your work. This collaborative environment helps you build essential skills and prepares you for more complex narrative responsibilities as you advance.

What is a Trainee Game Narrative Designer?

A Trainee Game Narrative Designer is an entry-level professional who works on creating the story, dialogue, and narrative structure for video games under the supervision of experienced designers. They help shape the game's world, characters, and plot, ensuring that the storytelling aligns with gameplay and engages players. This role often involves writing scripts, collaborating with other developers, and learning industry tools and conventions. It's a starting point for those passionate about storytelling and games, offering hands-on experience in narrative design.

What is the difference between Trainee Game Narrative Designer vs Junior Game Writer?

AspectTrainee Game Narrative DesignerJunior Game Writer
Required CredentialsBasic understanding of storytelling, some related education or courseworkSimilar; often a degree in creative writing, game design, or related field
Work EnvironmentEntry-level, learning-focused, collaborative with design and development teamsEntry to mid-level, producing narrative content under supervision
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in game studios for training roles, internships, or apprenticeshipsCommonly employed in game companies for narrative content creation

The main difference is that a Trainee Game Narrative Designer is an entry-level position focused on learning and developing skills, often within a training or internship program. A Junior Game Writer is a more experienced role responsible for creating and editing narrative content, with some independence. Both roles require storytelling skills and familiarity with game development, but the Trainee position emphasizes learning and growth.

More about Trainee Game Narrative Designer jobs
What cities are hiring for Trainee Game Narrative Designer jobs? Cities with the most Trainee Game Narrative Designer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Game Narrative Designer jobs? The most popular types of Game Narrative Designer jobs are:
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Trainee Game Narrative Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Trainee Game Narrative Designer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $75,084 per year, or $36.1 per hour.
Senior Game Designer (Combat)

Senior Game Designer (Combat)

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE)

Santa Monica, CA • On-site

$145.10K - $181.40K/yr

Other

Posted 27 days ago

Job description

Why Sony Interactive Entertainment?

Sony Interactive Entertainment isn't just the Best Place to Play - it's also the Best Place to Work. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is the company behind the PlayStation brand. As a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, we're part of a proud legacy of innovation and excellence. SIE is a dynamic technology company, delivering cutting-edge hardware and network services to more than 100 million people and an entertainment leader, home to some of the most beloved and recognizable intellectual properties (IP) in the world. Our role at SIE is to create and nurture the experiences under the PlayStation brand, a name synonymous with entertainment excellence and creativity.

This is a hybrid/ onsite position.

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Parts I and II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we're busy at the kennel working onIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we'd love to find talented individuals to join us.

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.

What you will do:

  • Pitch, design, implement, and own enemy NPC archetypes
  • Work with AI programmers to develop foundational NPC technology and implementing and tuning enemy AI behaviors
  • Work with animators to develop enemy locomotion and traversal, melee moves, ambient behaviors, and other custom abilities. Make every enemy archetype feel unique and memorable
  • Collaborate with the Design team to conceptualize, prototype, implement, tune, and balance gameplay mechanics and systems
  • Communicate with animation, programming, and art departments to effectively produce the assets and code support required for the enemies you're owning
  • Write and maintain documentation that establishes the core vision of the enemy archetypes
  • Drive communication and collaboration for enemies you design and the levels they are in, ensuring communication across disciplines and meeting deadlines
  • Effective and respectful communicator and collaborator, both with other designers and members of other departments
  • Facilitate playtesting and feedback sessions to iterate on combat systems and fine-tune them based on player experiences
  • Mentor junior designers and contribute to the overall growth of the design team

What skills you will use:

  • 5+ years of industry experience in combat design and/or technical design for games, specifically focused on developing action-adventure or shooter games
  • At least one shipped title as a combat designer or similar role. Experience with behavior trees or similar NPC AI concepts preferred
  • Strong coding ability: Computer Science degree preferred though not required
  • Proficient in using game engines and tools (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity) for combat implementation and design scripting (C#, Lua, Visual Scripting)
  • Welcomes feedback on their work and embraces the "let's try it" mentality
  • Proficient and effective communication skills, including diagramming and sketching
  • Fluent in modern character action-adventure and shooter combat games. Maintains knowledge of the broader gaming landscape trends
  • Knowledge of narrative structure and how it intersects with gameplay and combat
  • A keen eye for detail in character action games, able to tune gameplay systems to make them feel smooth and impactful
  • Strong leadership and mentoring skills

Please refer to ourCandidate Privacy Noticefor more information about how we process your personal information, and your data protection rights.

The estimated USA base pay range for this zone (Los Angeles area) is listed below. This role may be eligible for additional compensation packages that includes annual bonus and other incentive plans.
$145,100-$181,400 USD

Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.

Please refer to ourCandidate Privacy Noticefor more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression and gender reassignment), race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.

We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is a Fair Chance employer and qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.

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