Creative process for Level Designers

After starting out as a hobbyist level designer back in the days of Doom and Quake, Steve Lee spent over 10 years working on AAA games that include Dishonored 2, Bioshock Infinite and Bulletstorm. More recently, he has gone freelance – contracting and consulting, both in England, and working with / visiting teams remotely.

Speech description:

“Creative Process for Level Designers” will summarise a series of fundamental ideas and approaches to consider throughout the process of making a level, from its initial conception, to all the implementation, playtesting and iteration that comes afterwards. Topics discussed include how to overcome the so-called “blank canvas”, the meaning and importance of designing elegantly, and some tips on playtesting. Examples of the ideas being discussed will be taken from some of my own work, as well as other games. The talk primarily aims to establish a solid foundation of ideas for newer level designers, but should also be useful and interesting to more experienced designers and leads, too.