Paul Kankiewicz

With an unprecedented number of people interviewing in the games industry nowadays, I thought now would be a good time to write up some interview questions to be prepared for, as well as general interview tips. Since I’m a game designer, these are largely going to be focused on the design side, but many of them likely apply to other disciplines as well.

Common Interview Questions

I’ve been through multiple interview loops for various senior positions in the design space in the past 6 months, ranging from technical design to lead design to mission design. Here are some of the most common interview questions I’ve been asked (And that you should be prepared for!), as well as some tips for answering them:

• Give an intro/high level job history
  • This will vary from person to person. Be sure to focus on anything relevant to the position you’re applying for, and highlight anything particularly impressive you’ve done or had a part in. Keep your answer within 3-5 minutes. Be sure to practice this one – I’ve been asked it in virtually every interview I’ve had recently.
• Why do you want to work at (New company)?
  • Focus on the games/projects the company has worked on, and explain why you’d like to work on those – Were they well received? Are they games you’ve loved to play, or would like to play? Even if they don’t specifically ask, I tend to follow this up by diving into why the company and position seem like a good fit for me. Maybe the company’s website mentions they really care about personal growth, or that they foster a culture that encourages helping each other out. If the position is highly technical in nature, I’m sure to mention I have a background in programming and love solving problems.
• Why are you leaving (Current company)?
  • Be sure to keep this positive. If you’re leaving your job for a negative reason, maybe focus on something that it’s not providing you that a new opportunity might – Location, company culture, growth, etc.
• What are you looking for in a new job?
  • Ideally, focus on things you’ve seen in the job description or on their website. Some things I typically mention are: Growing and learning, autonomy, and working on a game that’s well received by players.
• What’s your process of making a mission from start to finish?
  • This answer generally has a lot of parts that I need to dig into, but here are some things to think about:
    • Design pillars/theme of the mission (Or game as a whole)
    • Why is this mission is being made (eg, tutorial, introducing a new character, etc)
    • Make sure to hit any beat(s) from narrative team
    • What mechanics are in the game and how they can be used in cool/unique ways
    • What characters can be present and how can the gameplay progress their story or show their personality
    • Start with a core idea and make a prototype
    • Get feedback from team/playtests and iterate accordingly
    • Build up the mission in phases while getting feedback along the way
    • Get other people to review you mission and provide feedback
    • How does the specific mission fit into the game as a whole
    • Variety and pacing are very important (Both within the mission and for the game as a whole)
• Tell me a story about communicating with other teams
  • This question gets asked in all sorts of different ways, but it basically boils down to explaining how you handle communicating with others (Especially across different departments). Depending on how they ask the question, I like to mention that mission design tends to be the interdisciplinary intersection point of the team, so I have tons of experience working with other departments – Engineering, art, audio, producers, QA, other designers, etc. If you don’t have that same experience, you could talk about how you listen to other people’s area of expertise and try to incorporate that into your design. You could also mention that you listen more than you talk, or how you ask questions instead of being judgmental when disagreements arise.
• How do you handle giving/receiving feedback?
  • Again, this question gets asked all sorts of ways. Giving and receiving feedback is extremely important in the games industry. I always start by mentioning I never take feedback personally – I see it as a chance to grow and get better. I then talk about how often I hear a piece of feedback, and who is giving the feedback, and how I take those into consideration. Finally, I explain that getting to the heart of someone’s feedback (Rather than directly implementing what they ask for) is extremely important, because they might not even know exactly what they want or how a simple change might affect other systems.
• What’s your expected salary?
  • Pretty obvious, but most recruiters will ask you this in your first interview to make sure you’re aligned when it comes to compensation. I always phrase this like so: “I’m open to negotiation, but I’m looking for somewhere between x and y.”
• Do you have any questions for us?
  • Another obvious one, but most interviews end with you having a chance to ask them questions. I try to keep these relevant to their job titles. I might ask a recruiter, “What are the top 3 things you’re looking for in a candidate?” If I’m talking to producers, I might inquire, “What are the top priorities for the team in the next, 6-12 months?” If I’m talking to a fellow mission designer, I might go with, “How much creative ownership do you have over your missions?” Keeping the questions relevant to their experience ensures they’re more engaged, and shows that you know how to communicate across different disciplines.
• What games are you playing/do you like to play?
  • This questions tends to be asked either at the beginning as an ice breaker, or at the end to wind down the interview. If applicable, try to select a few games that are at least semi-related to the games they make, since it shows you enjoy playing the games you’d be making.

Less Common Questions

These questions have been asked multiple times, but not necessarily in every interview.

• What are some of your favorite missions in games?
  • This is going to vary from person to person, but come up with some shining examples of great mission design. If their company is very mechanics-focused, you could go with some examples that have unique or interesting mechanics. If they’re very story-focused, you could choose some that show rich narrative or character development. Oh, and in case you were wondering, my answer is: Redmaw (Horizon Zero Dawn), Suicide Mission (Mass Effect 2), and The Ashtray Maze (Control).
• What is the most technically complex thing you’ve worked on?
  • Again, this will vary from person to person, but pick something that’s complex, interesting, and that you can talk about the intricacies of. When I answer this, I always mention (Half jokingly) doors, because of The Door Problem, but then I follow it up with stuff that sounds more complex, like a roguelike game mode I designed and implemented, a 3D graphics engine I coded in C++, or a self-driving car I made in college.
• Tell me about a time you disagreed with your lead (And/or someone on another team). How did it go, and how was it resolved?
  • People have different opinions on how to solve problems all the time. Pick an example that shows how you handled the situation well. Did you request a short amount of time to make a prototype of your idea so you could see it in-engine? Did you make a pros and cons list of both options, then discuss each option with the stakeholders? Did you “disagree but commit?” (ie, voice your concerns to make sure you were heard, then followed what your lead told you to do?) There are positive ways to handle disagreements, so make sure your answer highlights one of those times.
• Tell me about a time you failed
  • This one can be hard to answer on the spot, so I highly recommend coming up with something ahead of time. Try to find a story that shows that you really learned something or grew from your experience. If you don’t have a story like that, try to pick something from early in your career, and highlight how you’d do it differently now. No one wants to work with someone that makes the same mistakes over and over again.

General Interview/Job Finding Tips

All right, so you know what questions to be prepared for, but what about execution? And what about finding jobs? Here are some quick tips for people looking for jobs in the games industry:

• Be prepared (Check and check!)
• Stay calm. Interviews can be nerve-racking. It always helps me to remember that I’m just having a chat with another person (And someone that probably likes games as much as I do).
• Ask clarifying questions if needed. Not only does this help with communication, but it also gives you a short bit to formulate your answer.
• Highlight your thought process. Interviewers are looking for how you solve problems and your work philosophies, so skipping straight to the answer isn’t ideal.
• Take notes immediately after the interview and learn from your mistakes, or think up better answers for next time. This is particularly helpful if you have multiple interviews with the same company.
• Lean on your network. People seem to be more happy than ever to help out others looking for work. Even if they can’t give you a recommendation, they might be able to send new jobs they hear about.
• Have a friend give you a mock interview and provide feedback.
• Don’t ever assume you’ve got a job in the bag – Anything can happen, even up until the last moment, especially right now in the industry. Keep applying until you sign the paperwork. Worst case scenario, a company reaches out and you say you’ve already started at a new job.
• For Zoom interviews, consider having a document open on another monitor with a bunch of these questions/answers ready in case your brain goes blank during the interview. Just make sure you don’t seem like you’re reading your answers as that can be off-putting.

Final Thoughts

When I was younger, my mom told me finding a job takes an average of about 6 months. At the time, I thought she was crazy, but that has actually been my experience throughout the years. With the games industry being in such a rough place right now, I’d even push expectations to 6 – 12 months. I’ve heard back from a lot of companies saying they received hundreds or even thousands of applications for a single position. With that many applicants, the competition is strong even for those with decades of experience. The only advice I can give is don’t give up – If you’re passionate about making games, keep at it, and don’t let rejections get you down. Be persistent, apply everywhere you can, and learn from your mistakes, and you’ll land a job before you know it.