Game designers decide on what players are able to do in the game world, their motivations for acting, and how each action looks and feels. Level designers create the spaces players move through and interact with, accounting for these actions and their rules and mechanics. Game design is an umbrella term, with level design falling under it as one of its many expressions, like narrative design.
Level designers are able to accumulate experience, like scripting triggers for mechanics, which helps them grow into game design roles. Keep reading to learn the key differences between game designers and level designers, including their responsibilities, required skills, salary expectations, and the pros and cons of each.
What is the difference between a game designer and a level designer?
Game designers map out the rules and systems that make up the player experience, and level designers create spaces for these rules to play out. Game designers and level designers have to work together so that gameplay makes sense, like including cover systems in levels that involve stealth mechanics. The table below outlines the differences between a game designer and a level designer.
| Game Designer | Level Designer |
|---|---|
| Focuses on the mechanics, rules, progression and narrative points | Comes up with layouts for rules and mechanics to play out, like encounters |
| Makes sure that combat, economy and difficult are all fair for different skill levels | Balances the encounters, puzzles and exploration for levels |
| Sets the story, lore and themes | Integrates the narrative into the space |
One person is able to perform both roles in smaller studios, so an indie dev might design both the mechanics and levels for a game. Game designers as a whole need broader knowledge about systems and mechanics, but level designers specialize in designing spaces and pacing, so the workflow is split in larger studios.
How do the responsibilities of a game designer differ from a level designer?
Game designers are responsible for implementing the creative vision behind a game via mechanics, whereas level designers design spaces that are capable of integrating the mechanics. The responsibilities of both game designers and level designers tie directly into each other, since the former’s decisions affect the latter’s core design concerns.
Game designers decide what a player is able to do in the game, like jumping and exploring. The designer then gives players reasons to do these things, defining both player actions and motivations. The systems they implement have to be fair to players across skill levels, so combat and exploration need to be relatively similar in difficulty.. Game designers are responsible for deciding if exploration is essential to the game, so they’re able to set the story beats and themes accordingly (locations setting off a cutscene, for example).
Level designers create arenas, puzzles and exploration paths, imagining where actions happen then deciding how the challenges turn out. Mapping out enemy placement means deciding the pacing of a level. Level designers make the necessary triggers and objects match the narrative, like a warzone that has ruined buildings and weapons lying around.
What skills are required for a game designer vs level designer?
The skills required for a game designer include designing systems based on storylines and player behavior. Level designers need to be skilled with spatial design and environmental storytelling. Technical skills, like proficiency with game engines for scripting mechanics and triggers, apply to both roles, but level designers additionally need knowledge of 3D modeling tools.
Game designers typically get a Bachelor’s in Game Design or Computer Science, equipping them to map out the mechanics, win and loss conditions, and progression systems in a game. Being able to use an industry-standard game engine like Unity is necessary since becoming proficient in one teaches scripting knowledge and broadens a designer’s scope.
Level designers get a Bachelor’s in Game Design and Architecture since these set the foundation for spatial design, while developing the skills to script in triggers for mechanics. Level designers have to design physical spaces that aren’t confusing to navigate while balancing enemy and puzzle encounters, so player psychology is a useful field of study. Proficiency with game engines, especially their level editors, and 3D modeling tools is necessary to create blockouts and design mechanics.
Which career pays more: game designer or level designer?
Game design pays more, with an average salary of $74,000 to $135,000 a year in the United States, whereas level design has an average range of $70,000 to $100,000 a year. The difference in pay between the careers isn’t extreme, especially since principal and lead roles for both level and game design go up to $200,000 a year. Experience levels, regions and studio sizes all affect salaries for each.
Game designers come with a broader skillset, encompassing more technical knowledge than level designers. Skillsets lean toward computer sciences for scripting and mechanics, as well asand psychology to predict player behaviors and motivations. Narrative design skills are helpful to have since game designers decide where story beats interact with or depend on mechanics.
The demand for level designers is high in studios that use game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity, so a foundation in these is recommended. Skillsets are more specialized, centering around spatial design via 3D modeling and understanding player movement in a wide range of potential spaces.
Game design is a broad umbrella term that groups together senior systems designers, creative directors, narrative designers, and sometimes level designers. The pay reported is higher as a result, especially in North America. Level designers with strong technical skillsets in North America are capable of matching or surpassing game designers’ salaries in European studios.
Game designers move into higher paying leadership roles like Creative Director or Lead Designer, whereas level designers progress into roles that tend to cap lower. The takeaway from this is that salaries are directly comparable only at entry- and mid-level points in the career. Plus, one person is able to perform both roles in smaller studios, blurring the actual ranges.
Can a level designer become a game designer?
Yes, a level designer can become a game designer since the two roles already require collaboration in teams, and professionals transition from level design to game design with experience. Growing into a game designer role does require level designers to expand their knowledge from spatial design into systemic and creative design, though.
Level designers start off with building maps, and adding encounters and puzzles via level editors in game engines. An intuition for designing the gameplay flow is slowly built up. Level designers learn how mechanics behave in a space so that they’re able to incorporate the rules made by the game designer.
To move into game design, level designers need to study how rules are created and how to use them to balance gameplay. They need to learn how combat systems are tuned, for example, building on their knowledge of where and how players enter combat. Further education in narrative design, player psychology or systems modeling is all helpful.
Level designers are capable of going into hybrid roles, like Mission Designer or Content Designer, before becoming a full-time game designer. The accumulated experience that comes with these transitions help progress into Lead Designer and Creative Director positions.
What are the pros and cons of being a game designer?
The pros and cons of being a game designer include their freedom to experiment with mechanics and storytelling, along with the pressure of heavy schedules when release dates close in. The global gaming industry has surpassed $200 billion with opportunities in multiple kinds of studios (AAA, indie, mobile), so more game designers continuously enter the job market, making it highly competitive. The lists below outline the pros and cons of being a game designer.
Pros:
- Come up with the mechanics, contributing to gameplay rules and loops
- Shape how players experience the game in terms of motivations and controls
- Freedom to experiment with mechanics and storytelling
Cons:
- Stress of meeting strict deadlines for release dates
- Studios shut down or cancel projects at times, pulling the rug from under designers unexpectedly
- Both creative and technical skills are needed, so the learning curve is steep
What are the pros and cons of being a level designer?
The pros and cons of being a level designer tie into them being the architects of player experiences with how they shape maps, puzzles and exploration paths. Level designers deal with crunch periods and long working hours near release dates, much like game designers. The lists below outline the pros and cons of being a level designer.
Pros:
- Direct influence over how players feel as they enter a space, like tension in arenas
- Level design builds up skills in 3D modeling and scripting, which apply across industries
- Entry-level roles are accessible, leading to positions like Senior Level Designer
Cons:
- Less creative freedom in large studios, as level designers have to work with mechanics set by game designers
- Levels are very visible, so confusing pacing and layouts draw direct criticism
- Compared to game designers, there’s less opportunity to move into leadership roles, unless level designers branch out into systems design
Which is better for me: a game designer or a level designer?
Game designer is a better role for people that are drawn to storytelling and gameplay systems, but being a level designer is better for people geared toward problem-solving and spatial design. The most suitable role depends on an individual’s skillset, too, such as proficiency with specific tools in game engines, or an educational background in either Computer Science or Architecture.
Game designers determine why players are motivated to progress in the game, such as writing a compelling narrative. Mechanics need to be balanced, ensuring both casual and hardcore players are able to progress and enjoy the experience. Game designers need to understand how different skills translate into gameplay, integrating multiple systems that level the playing field, similar to how Minecraft has modes for survival and creativity.
Level designers create spaces that are optimized for efficient pacing and flow, with maps, puzzles and encounters built with the rules set by the game designer. A strong understanding of how space affects engagement and immersion is necessary, as is a knowledge of systems to make sure mechanics blend in with the space.
People wanting to go into game design can progress into leadership roles, like Creative Director. The role comes with high responsibility, so failing systems affect the whole game which in turn negatively affects revenue and player reception. Level design roles grow into Senior Level Designer positions, with accumulated systems knowledge creating a path to game designer roles.
