Wizards of the Coast is hiring an associate game designer to design, improve, iterate, playtest, and generally twiddle away at cards for its Commander and “more casual oriented” products. If you can demonstrate a passion for designing games, have some MTG knowledge in your noggin, and wouldn’t mind moving to Washington, USA, to be close to Wizards’ Renton HQ, then it might be the role for you.
According to the advert, posted to Wizards’ Greenhouse job board, the company is looking for a game designer with a “desire to learn and a commitment to make some great Magic”. Of course, being bright eyed and bushy tailed isn’t quite enough. You’ll also need to know some stuff going in; specifically, you’ll have to be able to demonstrate a “dedicated drive for game design.”
The job posting also states that you’ll need at least one year of experience in game design. However, two Wizards staff members, one a former member of the MTG casual play design team, and the other that team’s manager, have both piped up, suggesting that this may be overstating things a little.
Elizabeth Rice (@Ellieoftheveil) tweeted that potential applicants should not worry overly about having prior experience. “I got this job with basically none,” she says, adding: “We care much more about the vision and love you can bring to the best game in the world”. She also hinted that having cubes or custom cards may help.
Sara Mox, leader of the Casual Play Design team (aka your future boss?), meanwhile, clarifies in her tweet that “The 1 year of xp listed is much more about demonstrated passion than profession”.
Somewhat irritatingly, no details on salary or location are provided in the job ad, but MTG vice president of design Aaron Forsythe confirmed on Twitter that it will be on site, at Wizard’s Renton HQ in Washington. There’s also no clues about how much time you have to apply, so chop chop.
The posting explains Wizards of the Coast’s commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. “We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment,” it states.
If you know how to build an MTG commander deck that’s kickass or hilarious, and can name 50 of the best MTG commanders, it might be worth tossing your hat into the ring.