Select your current position

Pick a role and level — we'll show the growth path, skills and gap analysis.

Development path

Junior

0-2 years

Current

Responsibility: Выполнение задач под руководством старших коллег. Изучение кодовой базы, стандартов и процессов команды. Написание кода по спецификациям, исправление простых багов, написание тестов.

Key skills:

Game AI: Pathfinding, Behavior Trees Need
Game Analytics Need
Game Economy & Balancing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Narrative Design Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Level Design Need

Middle

2-5 years

Next

Responsibility: Самостоятельная разработка фич от декомпозиции до деплоя. Участие в code review. Оптимизация производительности. Менторинг junior-разработчиков. Участие в архитектурных обсуждениях.

Key skills:

Game AI: Pathfinding, Behavior Trees Need
Game Analytics Need
Game Economy & Balancing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Narrative Design Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Level Design Need

Senior

5-8 years

Responsibility: Проектирование архитектуры компонентов и сервисов. Решение сложных технических проблем. Ведение технического долга. Code review как gatekeeper качества. Менторинг middle-разработчиков. Выбор технологий для новых задач.

Key skills:

Game AI: Pathfinding, Behavior Trees Need
Game Analytics Need
Game Economy & Balancing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Narrative Design Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Level Design Need

Lead / Staff

7-12 years

Responsibility: Техническое лидерство команды или направления. Проектирование системной архитектуры. Координация с другими командами. Формирование стандартов и best practices. Участие в найме. Планирование технического roadmap.

Key skills:

Game AI: Pathfinding, Behavior Trees Need
Game Analytics Need
Game Economy & Balancing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Narrative Design Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Level Design Need

Principal

10+ years

Responsibility: Техническая стратегия на уровне компании или домена. Кросс-организационное влияние. Решение системных проблем бизнеса через технологии. Менторинг lead-инженеров. Публичное представление компании.

Key skills:

Game AI: Pathfinding, Behavior Trees Need
Game Analytics Need
Game Economy & Balancing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Narrative Design Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Level Design Need

Gap analysis: skills to develop

To reach the next level you'll need to develop:

Game AI: Pathfinding, Behavior Trees

Designs AI systems based on behavior trees: tactical behavior, team coordination, adaptation to player actions. Configures NavMesh for complex levels with dynamic obstacles. Balances AI difficulty for different difficulty levels through parametric tuning.

Game Analytics

Designs analytics event system for full game system coverage. Analyzes funnel metrics, level heatmaps, player resource distribution. Conducts A/B tests of balance changes and interprets results. Uses cohort analysis to evaluate changes.

Game Economy & Balancing

Develops in-game economy systems: resource balance, sink/source models, progression curves. Models economy in spreadsheets with player behavior simulation. Conducts A/B tests of monetization mechanics. Balances reward schedules for optimal engagement.

Game Mechanics Design

Designs complex game systems: combat system, crafting, skill trees, quest systems. Balances mechanics through spreadsheet modeling and playtesting. Creates secondary loops and meta-game. Understands player psychology and applies motivational frameworks (SDT, Bartle taxonomy).

Game Narrative Design

Designs narrative systems: branching dialogues, player choice consequences, narrative pacing. Creates compelling characters with character arcs. Uses narrative tools (Ink, Twine, Yarn Spinner) for implementing branching stories. Integrates narrative with gameplay mechanics.

Game Physics

Designs physics systems for gameplay: ragdoll, destruction, vehicle physics, cloth simulation. Configures physics layers and collision matrix for optimization. Creates custom physics for game feel: tweaked gravity curves, coyote time, input buffering for responsive controls.

Game Testing & QA

Designs and conducts structured playtests: usability testing, balance testing, difficulty curve evaluation. Creates test plans for game systems. Analyzes playtest data (video recordings, metrics, questionnaires) and formulates actionable improvements. Automates basic balance testing.

Game UX & UI Design

Designs comprehensive UX systems: onboarding flow, control schemes for different platforms, accessibility features. Creates UI/UX documentation with wireframes and interaction specifications. Conducts usability testing and analyzes interaction heatmaps. Ensures consistent UX language.

Level Design

Designs complex levels: multi-path layouts, vertical gameplay, risk/reward zones. Creates encounter design: enemy placement, cover systems, difficulty pacing. Works with navigation meshes for AI. Balances levels through playtesting: timing, challenge, reward distribution.