This job listing expired on Aug 5, 2021
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At Maxis, we thrive on outrageous thinking.

It’s the fuel that inspires the best games in the world. We’re creators and great storytellers. Our mission is not just about amazing our peers – it’s about amazing our fans. Taking risks. Working with each other. Daring to dream big. Together, we can improve the way millions play every day.

As a Designer on The Sims, you’ll report to the Design Development Director and work with a team of enthusiastic industry craftspeople from all walks of life. You will use your passion and knowledge to design and implement player-first experiences from end to end that surprise, delight, and invite millions of gamers around the world to Play with Life.

The Sims 4 has a very unique player base with 60% of our audience being women between the ages of 18-24. We are looking for someone with deep insights on how to create the best experience for our players.

Responsibilities

  • You will advocate for and will represent the Design team to the dev team.
  • You will help establish best practices for the team.
  • You will brainstorm and write designs, and provide feedback to other designers.
  • You will be a mentor to more junior members of the team.
  • You have a depth of knowledge across a majority of systems, being able to oversee entire pillars for a pack and train/support the team on its features.
  • You will establish gameplay experience goals for designs, and tune features to meet those goals.
  • You will refine designs based on our playtests, game metrics, team input and community feedback.
  • You are a convergent thinker, using the tools and time/scope available to create unique and fun experiences for players.
  • You will work with all team disciplines, including artists, animators, modelers, engineers and producers to get support from the team and guide a project from initial design to final production.
  • You will become an expert on the game and our community, drawing from our large, varied player base and our past games to make and defend intelligent design choices going forward.
  • You have an eye for improving process and efficiency to make life easier for the Design team.

Qualifications

  • At least 7 years of game design experience on a video game development team.
  • Excellent creative, analytical and organization skills with the ability to write and maintain detailed design documentation throughout a project life cycle.
  • You are progressive thinker while remaining flexible, energetic and motivated to overcome challenges with practical solutions.
  • Experience leading a design and getting the team excited to work on it.
  • Eager to explore best practices and become proficient in multiple proprietary development tools.
  • Design and implementation experience with game features which focus on open-ended player creativity.
  • Effective at working both autonomously and in groups of different profiles.
  • Knowledge of and enthusiasm for gaming: playing, deconstructing and creating.
  • Experience with games in The Sims PC franchise and other simulation games.
  • Desirable Skill: Shipped a AAA HD title.
  • Desirable Skill: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent.
  • Desirable Skill: Experience with MS suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.), Google Docs, Visio, JIRA, online collaboration suites such as Confluence.

About EA

At Electronic Arts, we exist to Inspire the World to Play. We create extraordinary new game experiences for our millions of players everywhere by bringing together talented people that combine creativity, innovation, and passion. We know that our strength lies in the diversity of our people. We immerse our employees into an inclusive culture, and provide opportunities for learning and leading that allow them to do the most impactful and rewarding work of their careers. We put our people first. We provide comprehensive benefit packages with a focus on health and wellbeing to support your needs and help you balance your career and personal life. We provide access to dynamic and collaborative work environments, opportunities to connect and contribute through our Employee Resource Groups, and support for a balanced life with paid time off and maternity and paternity leave, plus free video games and so much more! Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Electronic Arts also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.