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Volunteer Game Narrative Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

TapBlaze

Game Designer, Casual F2P

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$167K/yr

You understand the psychology of casual, cozy, and narrative-driven game players. * Long-term ... Experience designing for narrative-driven or cozy game genres specifically. * Familiarity with A/B ...

Naughty Dog

Senior Game Designer (Combat)

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$145K - $181K/yr

... narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II ... Mentor junior designers and contribute to the overall growth of the design team What skills you ...

Visual Concepts

Game Designer, Temporary

$38 - $53/hr

Implement and own cinematic sequences to help shape the narrative vision of the game using a proprietary scripting system * Collaborate with engineers, designers and artists to identify key issues ...

Fanatics Collectibles

Game Designer - TCG

Seattle, WA

$176K/yr

Collaborate with narrative design, creative, and product teams to ensure mechanics are well ... Deep passion for trading card games as both a designer and a player Location All employees of ...

Fanatics Collectibles

Game Designer - TCG

Seattle, WA · On-site

$98K - $123K/yr

Collaborate with narrative design, creative, and product teams to ensure mechanics are well ... Deep passion for trading card games as both a designer and a player Location All employees of ...

Naughty Dog

Senior Technical Designer

Santa Monica, CA

$114K - $122K/yr

Prototyping, implementing, and owning gameplay scenarios, narrative sequences, interactive objects ... Working with minimal supervision while keeping lead designers and directors well-informed. What ...

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Volunteer Game Narrative Designer information

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$47K

$156K

How much do volunteer game narrative designer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 8, 2026, the average yearly pay for volunteer game narrative designer in the United States is $149,118.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $155,000.00 and $155,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a volunteer game narrative designer typically collaborate with other team members in the development process?

As a Volunteer Game Narrative Designer, you will work closely with game developers, artists, and audio designers to ensure that the story integrates seamlessly with gameplay and visual elements. Collaboration often involves participating in regular team meetings, sharing script drafts, and providing feedback on how narrative elements can enhance player engagement. Effective communication and openness to feedback are essential, as you'll need to adapt your writing to fit technical constraints and evolving design requirements. This team-oriented environment encourages creativity and provides valuable experience for those looking to advance in narrative or game design careers.

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

To thrive as a Volunteer Game Narrative Designer, you need strong storytelling abilities, a solid grasp of game design principles, and experience writing interactive narratives, often demonstrated through a portfolio rather than formal qualifications. Familiarity with narrative design tools like Twine, Ink, or game engines (Unity, Unreal) and version control systems is typically required. Collaboration, open communication, and adaptability are crucial soft skills for integrating feedback and working within a team environment. These skills ensure the creation of compelling, cohesive stories that enhance player engagement and support the overall game experience.

What is the difference between Volunteer Game Narrative Designer vs Volunteer Level Designer?

AspectVolunteer Game Narrative DesignerVolunteer Level Designer
Required skillsStorytelling, writing, creative thinkingLevel layout, environment design, technical skills
Work environmentCollaborative with writers and developersDesign teams, game engines, software tools
Industry usageUsed across narrative-driven and story-rich gamesUsed in level-based and environment-focused games

The Volunteer Game Narrative Designer focuses on crafting storylines, dialogues, and character development, while the Volunteer Level Designer concentrates on designing game environments and levels. Both roles require creativity and collaboration but serve different aspects of game development. Understanding these differences helps volunteers align their skills with the right role in the gaming industry.

What is a volunteer game narrative designer?

A Volunteer Game Narrative Designer is someone who helps craft the story, dialogue, and world-building elements of a video game, usually for indie or non-profit projects, without financial compensation. They collaborate with game developers, artists, and other writers to create engaging narratives that enhance the player's experience. This role often involves writing scripts, developing character backgrounds, and contributing to the overall lore and emotional impact of the game. Volunteering in this position is a great way to gain experience, build a portfolio, and network within the gaming industry.
More about Volunteer Game Narrative Designer jobs
What cities are hiring for Volunteer Game Narrative Designer jobs? Cities with the most Volunteer 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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Volunteer Game Narrative Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Volunteer Game Narrative Designer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 84% Full Time, 15% Part Time, and 1% Temporary. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $149,118 per year, or $71.7 per hour.

Game Designer, Casual F2P

TapBlaze

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

$167K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 26 days ago

Job description

We need a game designer who actually plays casual F2P mobile games, not someone who tolerates them, but someone who genuinely loves them. You'll design new mechanics and improve existing ones for Good Pizza, Great Pizza (300M+ downloads) and latest title Good Coffee, Great Coffee. You'll work on game economy, progression balance, and feature design while keeping two things in constant tension: what's best for our players and what's sustainable for our business.
If you've ever rage-quit a casual game because an update nerfed something you loved, or stopped playing because the economy felt like a trap, that is good. We want someone who designs with players, not against them.
About TapBlaze
Our mission is to create memorable entertainment experiences for players around the world. Our vision is to become one of the world's leading entertainment companies. As a self-funded, independent studio, we only answer to our players - not investors, not publishers. Good Pizza, Great Pizza has been downloaded more than 300 million times, and we did it with a small, focused team.
Our core values drive everything we do:
  • We are ambitious. We aim to build games that are remembered for decades.
  • We are disciplined. We make deliberate, well-reasoned decisions.
  • We are ownership-minded. If it's your area, you own it, the wins and the problems.
  • We are results oriented. We measure success by what ships and what players experience.
  • We are extra-ordinary. We hold ourselves to a higher standard than the industry expects of a studio our size.

We are seeking individuals that share these values and are looking to level up themselves, the games they work on, and the company they work for. Only with great attention to details can this be achieved. Please include the phrase "beauty is in the details" in your cover letter.
What You'll Do
Design New Game Mechanics & Features
  • Concept, prototype, and iterate on new gameplay mechanics for Good Pizza, Great Pizza and Good Coffee, Great Coffee with an emphasis on casual, cozy, and narrative-driven experiences.
  • Design LiveOps events, seasonal content, and limited-time features that drive engagement without burning out our player base.
  • Create wireframes, design documents, and prototypes that communicate your intent clearly to engineering and art.

Game Economy & Balance
  • Design and maintain in-game economies (currencies, pricing, upgrade costs, cooldowns, sink/source balance) with a long-term, sustainable mindset.
  • Model the downstream effects of economy decisions. If you make something free or cheap today, what does that mean for monetization six months from now?
  • Set up progression curves, upgrade cost scaling, and cooldown systems that feel fair to players while preserving room for meaningful monetization.
  • Regularly audit existing economy systems and propose rebalancing when something is off with a clear plan for how changes affect current players.

Improve Existing Designs Without Alienating Players
  • When improving or rebalancing existing features, think carefully about what players are already accustomed to. Changes that take away things players rely on require extra care, communication framing, and often compensating value elsewhere.
  • Use player feedback, reviews, community sentiment, and analytics data to understand how players actually experience your designs not just how you intended them to work.
  • Identify design debt (overly generous rewards, unsustainable economies, features that don't scale) and create migration plans that respect the player relationship.

Research & Player Empathy
  • Play and deeply analyze casual games across genres, Match-3, Time Management, Simulation, Indie, Cozy, Narrative on an ongoing basis.
  • Develop a strong mental model of TapBlaze's player base: who they are, what they value, what frustrates them, and what makes them engaged with our games.
  • Conduct market research and competitive analysis, translating insights into actionable feature recommendations.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams (engineering, art, QA, marketing) to ensure designs are player-centric and technically feasible.

Who You Are
  • 2+ years of experience designing casual F2P mobile games. Casual mobile specifically.
  • At least one shipped casual mobile game currently live on the App Store or Google Play. Big plus if you had significant design ownership over.
  • You actively play casual F2P mobile games in your personal time. You can talk at length about what's working and what's broken in games like Merge Mansion, Royal Match, Hay Day, Stardew Valley mobile, and similar titles. Do not apply if you don't regularly play casual F2P games.
  • Proven experience with game economy design. Sink/source modeling, currency systems, upgrade cost curves, cooldown tuning, and understanding how all of those interact over a player's lifetime.
  • Strong player empathy. You can articulate how a design decision will feel from the player's perspective, not just how it looks on a spreadsheet. You understand the psychology of casual, cozy, and narrative-driven game players.
  • Long-term systems thinking. You consider the 6-month and 12-month consequences of your designs, especially around monetization headroom and economy sustainability.
  • Clear design documentation skills. Wireframes, GDDs, flowcharts, economy models that other team members can execute from.
  • Bachelor's degree in Game Design, Mathematics, Economics, Psychology, or related field (Master's preferred)
  • Great attention to details - you read the full job description.

Strong Pluses:
  • Experience with UI/UX design or strong opinions about how interface design affects player behavior and comprehension.
  • Experience with data analytics tools; you can look at retention curves, conversion funnels, and ARPDAU data and know what it means for your designs.
  • Coding or prototyping experience - (Unity, Claude, spreadsheets with formulas, scripting) enough to model and test your own ideas before handing off to engineering.
  • Experience designing for narrative-driven or cozy game genres specifically.
  • Familiarity with A/B testing and LiveOps in a live mobile game environment.

Location & Work Environment
  • Los Angeles, CA: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work;
  • Prolonged period of time sitting at a desk and computer.

Compensation
The salary range for this role is $65,000 to $95,000 per year depending on experience.
Commitment to Diversity
As an equal opportunity employer committed to meeting the needs of a multigenerational and multicultural workforce TAPBLAZE recognizes that a diverse staff, reflective of our community, is an integral and welcome part of a successful and ethical business. We hire local talent at all levels regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, and actively foster inclusion in all forms both within our company and across interactions with vendors and partners.
If this position caught your eye, send us your resume! For best consideration, include a cover letter in your application explaining why you would be a great fit.
Should you have any questions or encounter any fraudulent requests/emails/websites, please immediately contact careers@tapblaze.com. Our job applicant privacy policies are available here: California Privacy Notice

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