{"id":1523857,"url":"https://alion.io/job/tapblaze-game-design-intern","title":"Game Design Intern","company":{"id":686013,"name":"TapBlaze","domain":"tapblaze.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/tapblaze","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":null},"role":"Games","role_family":"Games","seniority":"intern","employment_type":"internship","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Los Angeles, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":20,"max":25,"currency":"USD","period":"hour","gross":null,"usd_annual":50000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Claude","optional":true},{"name":"Unity","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-30T03:14:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-30","last_verified_at":"2026-10-03T23:36:28Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":3,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":3},"description":"Eligibility\nCurrently enrolled undergraduate (junior or senior), graduate student or recent graduate (up to 6 months).\n\nAvailable 40 hours per week in-office in Los Angeles.\n\n12 week duration\n\nPaid internship: $20/hr to $25/hr\n\nWe're looking for a passionate Game Design Intern to join our team for a 12-week paid internship. You'll work hands-on with our design team on two live titles, Good Pizza, Great Pizza and Good Coffee, Great Coffee contributing directly to the game designs, mechanics, and balance that shape the player experience. You'll be doing real design work, pitching ideas, and seeing your contributions make it into games played by millions. At the end of the 12 weeks, top-performing interns will be considered for a full-time Junior Game Designer role.\nAbout TapBlaze\nOur mission is to create memorable entertainment experiences for players around the world. Our vision is to become one of the world's leading entertainment companies. As a self-funded, independent studio, we only answer to our players - not investors, not publishers. Good Pizza, Great Pizza has been downloaded more than 300 million times, and we did it with a small, focused team.\nOur core values drive everything we do:\nWe are ambitious. We aim to build games that are remembered for decades.\n\nWe are disciplined. We make deliberate, well-reasoned decisions.\n\nWe are ownership-minded. If it's your area, you own it, the wins and the problems.\n\nWe are results oriented. We measure success by what ships and what players experience.\n\nWe are extra-ordinary. We hold ourselves to a higher standard than the industry expects of a studio our size.\n\nWe are seeking individuals that share these values and are looking to level up themselves, the games they work on, and the company they work for.\nWhat You'll Do\nPrototype and pitch an original idea for a new feature, event, or content update.\n\nCollaborate with the design team to develop and iterate on a game mechanic, system, and/or content for Good Pizza, Great Pizza and Good Coffee, Great Coffee.\n\nDesign, document, and balance in-game systems including recipes, progression, customer behaviors, and economy tuning.\n\nCreate and maintain clear, detailed design documentation (feature specs, balance spreadsheets, flowcharts).\n\nPlaytest builds and provide structured, actionable feedback on gameplay feel and balance.\n\nAnalyze player data and feedback to identify balance issues and opportunities for improvement.\n\nParticipate in design reviews, brainstorms, and team critiques.\n\nWhat We're Looking For\nA genuine love of games and a curiosity about what makes them work. You think about why a mechanic is fun, not just that it's fun.\n\nFoundational understanding of game design principles: feedback loops, pacing, progression, player motivation, and economy design.\n\nStrong analytical skills, comfort with spreadsheets, numbers, and tuning variables to find the right balance.\n\nClear written and verbal communication; ability to explain and defend design decisions.\n\nA collaborative mindset and openness to feedback\n\nSelf-motivated with the ability to manage time and prioritize across multiple tasks.\n\nGreat attention to details - you read the full job description.\n\nBonus Points\nExperience with game design tools (Unity, game engines, Claude, prototyping tools, or scripting).\n\nA portfolio, passion project, or game jam entry that showcases your design thinking.\n\nFamiliarity with mobile/casual game design and free-to-play economies.\n\nExperience with or knowledge of cozy, simulation, restaurant, or management game genres.\n\nBackground in data analysis or player behavior research.\n\nWhat You'll Gain\nHands-on experience designing for live games with real player bases.\n\nMentorship\n\nA deep understanding of mobile game design, balancing, and live operations.\n\nA clear pathway to a full-time Associate Game Designer position based on performance.\n\nA portfolio-worthy body of work from your contributions.\n\nPhysical Requirements\nLos Angeles, CA: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work;\n\nProlonged period of time sitting at a desk and computer.\n\nCommitment to Diversity\nAs an equal opportunity employer committed to meeting the needs of a multigenerational and multicultural workforce TAPBLAZE recognizes that a diverse staff, reflective of our community, is an integral and welcome part of a successful and ethical business. We hire local talent at all levels regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, and actively foster inclusion in all forms both within our company and across interactions with vendors and partners.\nIf this position caught your eye, send us your resume! For best consideration, include a cover letter in your application explaining why you would be a great fit.\nShould you have any questions or encounter any fraudulent requests/emails/websites, please immediately contact . Our job applicant privacy policies are available here: California Privacy Notice","description_format":"text","description_chars":5033,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Game Development"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-30T13:24:11Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 3 · green card filings: 1","filings_12m":3,"filings_prev_12m":0,"green_card_filings_12m":1,"median_offered_wage_usd":88750,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-03T21:08:04+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":3}],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":3,"expected_fill_days":22,"reasons":["conf:15","win:early","comp:junior"],"computed_at":"2026-10-03T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":50000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/tapblaze-game-design-intern","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/tapblaze-game-design-intern.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-04T01:44:23Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":2304,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":2696,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z"}}}