About the role#
We are looking for a Game Design Intern to join our team for a 12-week paid internship. You will work on our live titles, Good Pizza, Great Pizza and Good Coffee, Great Coffee. You will contribute to the mechanics, balance, and design that shape the player experience. This is an opportunity to pitch ideas and see your work in games played by millions. Top-performing interns will be considered for a full-time Junior Game Designer role at the end of the program.
What you'll do#
- Prototype and pitch an original idea for a new feature, event, or content update.
- Collaborate with the design team to develop and iterate on game mechanics, systems, and content.
- Design, document, and balance in-game systems like recipes, progression, customer behaviors, and economy tuning.
- Create and maintain detailed design documentation including feature specs, balance spreadsheets, and flowcharts.
- Playtest builds and provide structured, actionable feedback on gameplay feel and balance.
- Analyze player data and feedback to identify balance issues and opportunities for improvement.
- Participate in design reviews, brainstorms, and team critiques.
What you'll need#
- Currently enrolled undergraduate (junior or senior), graduate student, or recent graduate (up to 6 months).
- A genuine love of games and curiosity about how they work.
- Foundational understanding of game design principles such as feedback loops, pacing, progression, player motivation, and economy design.
- Strong analytical skills and comfort with spreadsheets, numbers, and tuning variables.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- Collaborative mindset and openness to feedback.
- Self-motivated with the ability to manage time and prioritize across multiple tasks.
- Great attention to detail.
- Experience with game design tools like Unity, game engines, prototyping tools, or scripting is preferred.
- A portfolio, passion project, or game jam entry is preferred.
- Familiarity with mobile or casual game design and free-to-play economies is preferred.
- Experience with cozy, simulation, restaurant, or management game genres is preferred.
- Background in data analysis or player behavior research is preferred.
Location & details#
- This is a full-time, 40 hours per week, on-site internship in Los Angeles, California.
- The duration of the internship is 12 weeks.
- Pay is $20 to $25 per hour.
- Sponsorship is not available for this position.
About TapBlaze
TapBlaze is a mobile gaming company based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2012, the firm develops mobile applications with a focus on cooking, match 3, and indie games. It maintains a staff of 11 to 50 employees. The company operates as a privately held entity.
How to get in at TapBlaze
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