Game Design Intern-Undergraduate

Insomniac Games
Burbank, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Geared toward undergraduate students comfortable with creating gameplay content using 3D modeling and scripting tools, and who are pursuing a Game Design degree. The role emphasizes hands-on collaboration with senior designers and a fixed pay structure during a 12-week internship period.

Best fit for

  • Undergraduate Game Design students with 3D modeling and scripting experience
    — “Currently pursuing a Game Design degree at a college or university.”
  • Candidates who can work full-time for 12 weeks during summer or early fall
    — “Must be available for the entire 12-week internship period.”
  • Individuals who enjoy collaborative, creative problem-solving in game development
    — “Collaborate with experienced designers to develop creative solutions.”

Things to consider

  • Fixed hourly pay does not include potential future compensation after the internship
    — “the pay rate is exclusive to the internship period”
  • Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship
    — “who will not require work visa sponsorship from SIE now or in the future”

How to stand out

  • Demonstrate experience with Maya and visual scripting in your portfolio
    — “Basic familiarity with a 3D package such as Maya or 3DSMax is required; experience with Maya is preferred.”
  • Highlight your ability to articulate creative goals and turn ideas into solutions
    — “the ability to articulate creative goals and turn ideas into actionable solutions.”
  • Showcase examples of level design, combat setups, or event scripting from past projects
    — “Create and implement gameplay content, including world authoring, combat setups, event triggering and scripted structural elements.”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • create and implement gameplay content
  • collaborate with experienced designers
  • apply visual scripting or programming skills
  • learn and apply game design techniques
Typical background
pursuing a Game Design degreesix to twelve months of related experience

Skills & requirements

Required

Game Design3D ModelingVisual ScriptingUnityUnreal EngineMayaScriptingProblem-solvingAttention To DetailCreativityGame Design FundamentalsPassion For Video Games

Preferred

Level EditingHammer

Stack & domain

UnityUnreal EngineMayaVisual ScriptingProgrammingScripting LanguagesCollaborationProblem-solvingAttention To DetailCreativitySelf-motivationResponsibilityArticulationLeadershipGame DesignGame DevelopmentLevel DesignGameplay MechanicsScripted Events

About the role

Original posting from Insomniac Games via Greenhouse

Job ID: R-125858

Role Summary: 

Join Insomniac Games as a Game Design Intern and gain hands-on experience creating and implementing gameplay content that helps bring game worlds to life. 

As a Game Design Intern, you'll work alongside experienced designers to develop gameplay experiences, including world authoring, combat setups, event triggering and scripted structural elements. You'll apply your technical and creative skills while learning how game design ideas are developed and implemented throughout production. 

Throughout the internship, you'll receive mentorship from senior team members, strengthen your design and problem-solving skills, and gain practical experience with game development tools and workflows. You'll also have opportunities to learn about the development process and how design teams create engaging narrative action games. 

What You’ll Be Doing: 

Create and implement gameplay content, including world authoring, combat setups, event triggering and scripted structural elements. 

Use development tools such as Unity, Unreal Engine, Maya, or other 3D modeling software to support game design and content creation. 

Apply visual scripting or programming skills to implement and refine gameplay features. 

Collaborate with experienced designers to develop creative solutions and contribute to game development projects. 

Explore how level design, gameplay mechanics, and scripted events work together to create engaging player experiences. 

Learn and apply game design techniques and development workflows while receiving guidance and mentorship from senior team members. 

What We’re Looking For: 

Currently pursuing a Game Design degree at a college or university. Master's candidates may also apply. 

Six to twelve months of related experience and/or training is beneficial but not required for currently enrolled students. 

Basic familiarity with a 3D package such as Maya or 3DSMax is required; experience with Maya is preferred. 

Scripting experience is required, preferably visual scripting, although knowledge of programming or scripting languages is also acceptable. 

Familiarity with development tools such as Unity, Unreal Engine, Maya, or other 3D modeling software. 

Strong technical skills, including visual scripting or programming experience. 

Strong attention to detail, creativity, and an understanding of game design fundamentals. 

A self-motivated and responsible approach to learning, with the ability to articulate creative goals and turn ideas into actionable solutions. 

Passion for next-gen video games, with knowledge of the gaming industry and narrative action games. 

Previous experience with level-editing tools, such as Unreal, Unity, or Hammer is a plus. 

Eligibility: 

Students with expected graduation between May 2026 and December 2029 from an accredited university. Undergraduate 

Able to work during one of the following periods: May 17th - August 6th or June 14th - September 3rd. Relocation assistance is available for eligible candidates. 

Must be available for the entire 12-week internship period. 

At this time, SIE will only consider applicants who are authorized to work for any employer in the United States and who will not require work visa sponsorship from SIE now or in the future to maintain their authorization to work in the United States. 

Our intern positions offer a fixed hourly pay rate. Please note that the pay rate is exclusive to the internship period and may not reflect what pay may look like following the completion of an internship.

At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location. 

Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. 

Intern Pay Range$36.50—$36.50 USDPlease note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.

Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.

Source: Insomniac Games careers (Greenhouse)

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