Game Design with Yihao

What is a game designer?

Hi everyone! My name is Yihao, and I am the game designer from Noodle Goose Studio. Today, I’ll provide insight into what game designers do. Whether you’re a game lover, a student just stepping into the industry, or simply someone who’s curious about game design, this blog is for you. 

Here’s a fun fact: there are about 3.32 billion active video game players worldwide [1], and more than 5 million video games in existence [2]. These numbers are enormous and they reflect the creativity and dedication of countless game designers.

Formally, a game designer is a key figure in creating video games, overseeing the core vision, gameplay systems, and overall player experience. They blend creative concepts using their insight into player behaviour and game design principles to craft compelling and immersive games [3]. But actually, the term “game designers” is very broad. 

Within game design, there are many specialized roles (only talking about video game design for now). Mechanic designers focus on gameplay loops and core systems. Level designers create levels and environments that bring the world to life. Combat designers shape the action and feel of battles. And beyond designers, development teams include programmers, UI/UX designers, sound designers, artists, and more.

Most recently, I’ve been the level designer for Noodle Goose’s most recent game prototype, Word World: Change the Wor(L)d. My main contribution as the level designer in this game is to build game scenes based on the narrative and puzzle design in each level. I make sure that players have a fun playing experience and a suitable game flow. I also make sure that the items are in a suitable place to balance the game’s difficulty. After I place things around each scene, I will test them myself first to see if the game plays well in it. If bugs arise, I collaborate with our programmers to resolve them. Beyond level design, I contribute ideas for puzzles and other aspects of the game. One way I do that is by staying active in our group chat; clear and frequent communication is essential for effective game development.

To me, game design is a collaborative craft where each person brings their strengths to create characters, levels, storylines, mechanics, and ultimately a complete gaming experience. It’s a diverse field that welcomes people from all backgrounds. I know designers with architecture training who create incredible levels thanks to their spatial design skills. Whatever your background, you can bring something unique to game design. Even I started from loving playing video games to studying game design and designing my own game, so if you have any brilliant game ideas in your mind, don’t hesitate and give it a try.

Thank you for reading to the end. I hope you found this post helpful. I’ll continue writing more blogs like this—so stay tuned, and consider following Noodle Goose for future updates!

Reference:
[1]: Duarte, Fabio. “How Many Gamers Are There?” Exploding Topics, 5 June 2025, explodingtopics.com/blog/number-of-gamers.
[2]: Tran, Binh. “How Many Video Games Are There in the World? (2025 Updated) - Gamespublisher.com.” Gamespublisher.com, 26 Feb. 2024, gamespublisher.com/how-many-video-games-are-there-in-the-world-2025/.
[3]: “What Does a Game Designer Do? - CareerExplorer.” www.careerexplorer.com, www.careerexplorer.com/careers/game-designer/.