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: Completing tasks under the guidance of senior colleagues. Learning the codebase, standards, and team processes. Writing code to spec, fixing simple bugs, writing tests.

Key skills:

Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Git LFS Need
Runbook & Playbook Writing Need
Unity Engine Need
Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints Need
Game UI Need
Mobile Testing Need
Performance Testing Need
Test Planning Need
Test Case Design Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need
Automation Frameworks Need

Middle

2-5 years

Next

Responsibility: Independently developing features from decomposition to deployment. Participating in code review. Optimizing performance. Mentoring junior developers. Taking part in architecture discussions.

Key skills:

Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Git LFS Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
Runbook & Playbook Writing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unity Engine Need
Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints Need
Game UI Need
Mobile Testing Need
Performance Testing Need
Test Planning Need
Test Case Design Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need
Automation Frameworks Need

Senior

5-8 years

Responsibility: Designing the architecture of components and services. Solving complex technical problems. Managing technical debt. Code review as a quality gatekeeper. Mentoring middle developers. Choosing technologies for new tasks.

Key skills:

Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Git LFS Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
Runbook & Playbook Writing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Unity Engine Need
Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints Need
Game UI Need
Integration Testing Need
Mobile Testing Need
Multiplayer Architecture Need
Performance Testing Need
Test Planning Need
Test Case Design Need
Profiling & Benchmarking Need
Structured Logging Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need
Automation Frameworks Need

Lead / Staff

7-12 years

Responsibility: Technical leadership of a team or area. Designing system architecture. Coordinating with other teams. Establishing standards and best practices. Participating in hiring. Planning the technical roadmap.

Key skills:

Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Networking: Netcode, Photon Need
Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Git LFS Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
PC/Console Game Development Need
Runbook & Playbook Writing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Unity Engine Need
Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints Need
Game UI Need
Integration Testing Need
Mobile Testing Need
Multiplayer Architecture Need
Performance Testing Need
Test Planning Need
Test Case Design Need
Profiling & Benchmarking Need
Structured Logging Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need
Automation Frameworks Need

Principal

10+ years

Responsibility: Technical strategy at the company or domain level. Cross-organizational influence. Solving systemic business problems through technology. Mentoring lead engineers. Publicly representing the company.

Key skills:

Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Networking: Netcode, Photon Need
Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Git LFS Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
PC/Console Game Development Need
Runbook & Playbook Writing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Unity Engine Need
Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints Need
Game UI Need
Integration Testing Need
Mobile Testing Need
Multiplayer Architecture Need
Performance Testing Need
Test Planning Need
Test Case Design Need
Profiling & Benchmarking Need
Structured Logging Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need
Automation Frameworks Need

Gap analysis: skills to develop

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

Docker

Independently configures Docker for game testing: containerized test server environments, docker-compose for automated game testing infrastructure, Dockerfile for test runner images. Understands container networking for multiplayer test scenarios and resource limits for parallel test execution.

E2E Testing

Implements automated E2E tests for game systems: scripted gameplay sequences, automated screenshot comparison for visual regressions, and replay-based testing for deterministic game logic. Creates test frameworks for multiplayer session simulation. Integrates E2E game tests into build verification pipelines. Covers edge cases in game state persistence and save/load flows.

Game Mechanics Design

Independently implements Game Mechanics Design in game automation tools. Optimizes performance. Works with profiler.

Game Performance Optimization

Conducts systematic performance testing: profiles CPU/GPU through built-in engine tools (Unity Profiler, Unreal Insights). Identifies memory leaks and draw call spikes.

Game Physics

Systematically tests physics engine: checks collision detection on edge cases, tests vehicle physics, destructible environments. Validates physics at different framerates.

Game Testing & QA

Independently conducts full cycle of functional and regression testing of game builds. Classifies defects by severity/priority, verifies compliance with TRC/TCR requirements from Sony/Microsoft.

Game UX & UI Design

Conducts UX review of game flow: evaluates onboarding, game feel, control responsiveness. Analyzes playtest session data, identifies frustration points and progression drop-off.

Git LFS

Configures Git LFS tracking patterns for QA-specific assets including test recordings, crash dumps, and reference screenshots. Manages LFS storage quotas for build artifacts and automates cleanup of obsolete test binaries. Sets up partial clone strategies to speed up QA environment provisioning.

GitHub Actions / GitLab CI

Independently creates GitHub Actions workflows for game QA: configures automated test execution for game builds, implements test reporting and artifact collection steps, automates build distribution for QA testing. Manages game QA CI pipeline configurations.

Runbook & Playbook Writing

Independently writes runbooks for game QA processes: certification submission checklists, platform-specific compliance verification, live-ops incident triage procedures. Understands trade-offs between rigid step-by-step playbooks and adaptive QA workflows.

TDD & BDD

Applies TDD/BDD for game feature testing: writes comprehensive BDD scenarios for gameplay mechanics, implements automated tests for game balance and progression systems, and uses property-based testing for randomized game elements. Integrates BDD scenarios with game CI pipelines. Covers edge cases in multiplayer interactions and state transitions.

Unity Engine

Independently implements Unity Engine in game automation tools. Optimizes performance. Works with profiler.

Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints

Independently implements Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints in game automation tools. Optimizes performance. Works with profiler.

Game UI

Conducts systematic UI testing: checks all resolutions and aspect ratios, tests gamepad/keyboard/touch navigation. Validates accessibility (fonts, contrast, subtitle size).

Mobile Testing

Independently develops mobile game test plans covering performance profiling, compatibility matrices, and touch input validation. Applies test design techniques for device-specific rendering and frame rate analysis. Integrates performance benchmarks and crash reporting into CI/CD pipelines.

Performance Testing

Systematically tests performance: client profiling (CPU, GPU, memory), server response time, network latency. Uses built-in engine profilers and external tools.

Test Planning

Develops test plans for milestone builds: defines scope, risk areas, test environment matrix. Plans regression cycles and distributes tasks among testers.

Test Case Design

Develops test cases applying boundary values, equivalence partitioning for game parameters (health, damage, speed). Creates checklists for regression testing.

Accessibility Testing

Independently designs and executes accessibility test plans for games covering motor, visual, auditory, and cognitive accessibility dimensions. Tests game accessibility features including customizable controls, difficulty options, screen reader support for menus, and haptic feedback alternatives. Implements accessibility regression testing workflows ensuring updates don't break existing accessibility features across supported platforms.

Test Pyramid & Strategy

Independently applies test pyramid strategy to game projects, balancing automated unit tests for game logic with integration tests for subsystems and manual playtesting. Identifies gaps in test coverage across pyramid layers and proposes adjustments to improve defect detection efficiency.

Test Data Management

Independently designs test data strategies for complex game testing scenarios including multiplayer sessions and progression systems. Builds reusable data generators for game states. Manages test data versioning aligned with game build pipelines.

Test Environment Management

Independently manages test environments for multi-platform game testing including console dev kits, mobile devices, and PC configurations. Automates environment provisioning for nightly build verification. Troubleshoots environment-specific issues affecting test reliability.

Automation Frameworks

Writes automated tests for game systems: UI automation via Airtest/Appium, API tests for backend. Maintains test framework: updates locators, fixes flaky tests.