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Game Design Job Advertisement Analysis
Sarge Basham Old Dominion University IDS 493: Electronic Portfolio Project Dr. Tucker Steffen September 12, 2026
2 My major and ideal career path is in game design, which is a rapidly growing industry as technologies evolve and adapt. There are many aspects to creating a fully formed game, but my focus is on the visual. Ranging from conceptual art as a stepping stone to polishing illustrations, I have a wide set of skills that are applicable to a variety of positions. Therefore, I found two distinct job listings in two different fields to see how their language differs. When looking for a job in games development, listings often ask for hard skills more than soft skills. There are a variety of programs to learn with each company having their own specific software, but these are highly transferable skills. Because of this, researchers Zhang and Li suggest that “job seekers in the gaming industry should adopt the ‘T-shaped ability model’”, one that shows the vertical knowledge climb through education and previous job experience, along with horizontal multi-applicable abilities (2025). With this in mind, the two postings I have chosen are 3D Character Artist for Epoch Games and AI Anime Researcher - LLM for Spellbrush. The first one is standard and professional looking while the latter is much more layman.
3D Character Artist is upfront with the requirements needed and the programs they are
currently using. The ad uses the standard structure for a listing, as written by Purdue: “Most job ads are divided into four sections: 1) a job description; 2) a qualifications section; 3) an explanation of what the employee will have to do; 4) application requirements and contact information.” (2026). It gives context in the intro regarding hardware, being developed with Unreal Engine 4 for the overall game and Reallusion Character Creator 3 being the specific program for sculpting the 3D human characters. Reallusion Character Creator 3 is not a widely used program, especially for independent artists with its high cost and very niche application, which the company knows and does not expect applicants to own, offering a copy. The only
3 required softwares are UE4, any 3D modeling software (such as Blender or Maya), and an illustration program for high quality textures (Adobe Photoshop or GIMP as examples). Expectedly, the other hard skills are an ability to create realistic meshes and models. Previous experience is listed as a minimum requirement, but mentions low-poly as an example, so I don’t imagine a fully realistic portfolio is needed. Soft skills are a willingness to learn the new programs, adaptability, accuracy to pre-existing concept art, as well as quick communication and feedback. This listing was straightforward about the provable skills and aspects that future employees should have. It uses bullet points to be concise while giving a clear idea of what the job entails. A paper published by Lipovac and Babac (2019) expresses the idea that “the types of words employers use in the Job Description section can reflect whether employers focus on the duties of the candidates, or they prefer to list the required skills.” (p. 519). Using Voyant tools, the words “game” and “character” having a high count makes sense, but far above that is “team” being used nine times. While the job is remote, communication skills are very necessary to keep everyone on track when making a collaborative effort such as a game. Trello and Slack are two other required programs for being kept up to date and pushing out your own finished products for feedback. Working in a position such as this is being a willing cog in the machine: a 3D modeler can only begin once the concept artists are done, and the characters can only be put into a world once they are rendered. Each step of the process is also overseen by supervisors and managers, who may ask for tweaks or changes to keep the game to a cohesive vision. None of this is explicitly stated in the listing, but is implied by the role and minimal knowledge of how the game development cycle
4 works. It is not a particularly groundbreaking or innovative position, nor does it need to be, seeming to prioritize those already familiar with the work environment they are asking for. On the opposite spectrum, the AI Anime Research is not written with a standard game development process in mind. They are the team behind niji・journey, a generative image AI program. Its tone is more casual and uses more acronyms, the listing having headings such as “Why You'll Love Working With Us” with the word “you’ll” being used six times overall. While to some it may read as more unprofessional, the ad is clearly targeted for a specific demographic, referencing otakus and roleplaying.
Another difference, although not an uncommon one, is that this company is solely
in-person with headquarters located in downtown Tokyo and San Francisco. The company offers Visa sponsorships to especially qualified candidates who may not be able to travel otherwise. Being focused on a much newer technology, there are no specific hard skills required, only wanting a proficiency of Large Language Models in general and experience gathering both human and AI feedback. Soft skills seem to also be mostly communication related. It mentions a fast paced environment in small groups, which is usually a translation to mean “that employees must work in busy and often stressed situations” (Purdue, 2026), matching the product-focused development mentioned. So while problem solving and adaptability aren’t directly mentioned, they are implied.
No matter the field, there is an expected set of soft skills employees are expected to have,
with researchers Lipovac and Babac concluding that “skills such as verbal and written communication, teamwork skills and problem-solving skills, are ultimate skills that are demanded no matter occupation.” (2021, p. 520). However, they also found that personal as well as professional and methodical competence are the second and third most asked for skills. The
5 fourth and final, decision-making and responsibility, are usually only reserved for management and leadership positions, which neither of these job listings seem to be.
In conclusion, while both of these ads are looking for help making a video game,
breaking down both the intent and context make it clear that they are drastically dissimilar positions. The 3D Character Artist listing is formulaic and follows an expected format to those who are familiar with the game development cycle. It lists hard skills common in the field and, like most every other job ad, asks for good communication skills. Meanwhile, the AI Anime Researcher position seems to be innovative, both from the subject matter itself and highly specific language and niche audience. It has less strict requirements, likely purposefully so, being a more unique ad that some may be hesitant applying to. Both of these companies are less well known and do not rely on brand recognition but overall are solid in their own ways.
6 References Epoch Games. (2026). 3D Character Artist. https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=c56d416c163d5935 Lipovac, I., & Marina Bagić Babac, M. (2021). Content Analysis of Job Advertisements for Identifying Employability Skills. Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, 19(4), 511–525. https://doi.org/10.7906/indecs.19.4.5 Spellbrush. (2026). AI Anime Researcher - LLM. https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=39a2e4516843c581 Understanding Job Ads Part 1 - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University. (2018). Purdue.Edu. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/skilled_labor_job_search_resources/readi ng_and_using_job_ads/understanding_job_ads_part_1.html Understanding Job Ads Part 2 - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University. (2018). Purdue.Edu. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/skilled_labor_job_search_resources/readi ng_and_using_job_ads/understanding_job_ads_part_2.html Voyant Tools. (2026). Voyant-Tools.Org. https://beta.voyant-tools.org/ Zhang, Y., & Li, Z. (2025). Research on the demand of game Industry Talent based on Online recruitment. Proceedings of the 2Nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Conference on Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence, 1817–1824. https://doi.org/10.1145/3745238.3745522 Zhou, S., Aitken, J., McEachern, P. J., & McCauley, R. (2022). Data from 990 Public Real-World Job Advertisements Organized by O*NET Categories. Journal of Open Psychology Data, 10(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.5334/jopd.69