๐ŸŽฎ
๐ŸŽฒ
โš”๏ธ
๐Ÿงฉ
โœจ
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Open to Game Design roles, remote
Open to UI/UX Design roles, remote

๐Ÿ‘‹ Hey, I'm Aaron.
I live & breathe
game design.

I'm a game designer who thinks in systems, prototypes in code, and tests obsessively. I love figuring out what makes a game feel good: the mechanics that reward smart play, the economies that create tough choices, and the moments that keep players coming back. Right now I'm building Guild of Old Magick, a PvP auto-battler with 675+ items, 6 classes, and a full automated balance pipeline, all designed and developed solo.

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Current Project
675+ Item PvP Auto-Battler
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QA Experience
4 Years Test Automation
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Design Disciplines
Game ยท UI/UX ยท Tabletop ยท Content

About Me

Game design is how my brain works.

It's not just a career goal. It's genuinely how I spend my free time. Every day I'm in an engine, studying a system, or testing a mechanic.

My days revolve around exploring game engines, learning new development tools, and dissecting the mechanics that make games click. This isn't something I schedule. It's simply where my curiosity leads me. Whether I'm working on a project or not, I'm constantly engaged with the craft.

But passion alone doesn't get games made. Execution does. I prototype in Unity and C#, which lets me iterate quickly based on how mechanics actually feel in play, not just how they look on paper. 4 years of QA automation taught me the edge-case discipline that catches broken synergies before players do.

I've designed across digital, tabletop, and live-action formats. That range gave me a deep appreciation for what's universal in good game design: clear choices, meaningful consequences, and the drive to play again.

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Prototype First

Ideas are cheap. I build playable versions fast so I can learn from real play, not theory.

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Systems Thinker

Every mechanic is a relationship. Small changes should create meaningful ripple effects.

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Test Obsessed

Built a bot vs bot simulator to run thousands of automated matches and surface outliers.

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Cross-Format

Digital games, board games, a live game show. Good design principles are universal.

Experience

Where I've been building.

2018 โ€“ Present Guild of Old Magick

Game Designer / Solo Developer

  • Actively developing a 1v1 PvP auto-battler featuring 675+ items across 6+ character classes, each with unique keyword interactions, cooldown mechanics, and mana-gated abilities
  • Own the full content design pipeline end-to-end: concept, spec documentation, in-engine implementation, balance tuning, tooltip writing, and deployment
  • Built a bot vs bot battle simulator that runs thousands of automated matches to surface statistical outliers and degenerate synergies
  • Designed a three-shop economy with item rarity tiers, gold sinks, reroll mechanics, and upgrade paths
Apr 2022 โ€“ Jan 2026 Gettop ยท Remote

QA Automation Engineer

  • Built automated UI test suites in Python + Selenium that validated critical user flows and caught regressions across releases
  • Developed the systematic edge-case thinking that now drives game balance QA
  • Authored clear Jira tickets with expected vs actual behavior, repro steps, and evidence
Jun 2016 โ€“ May 2022 Rotunda Games ยท Remote

Board Game Designer

  • Designed and playtested tabletop game mechanics through hundreds of sessions, refining rules to maximize engagement and eliminate degenerate strategies
  • Adapted a competitive board game into a game show format, restructuring pacing for a viewing audience

Skills & Tools

My toolkit.

๐ŸŽฎ Design

Content Design Game Systems Combat Design Balance Tuning Economy Modeling Keyword/Synergy Systems Meta Loop Design Progression Systems Prototyping Design Docs / PRDs Tooltip & UX Writing

โšก Technical

Unity C# Python React JavaScript Godot Selenium Git Jira Figma Data Analysis

๐ŸŽจ Creative & Production

Photoshop Blender Premiere Pro Rapid Prototyping Playtesting & Iteration QA Automation Bug Triage LiveOps Support

Projects

What I've been making.

From competitive PvP systems to physics puzzles to a live game show, each one pushed me into new design territory.

02 Project Blue Whale

Project Blue Whale

A physics-based merge game designed and programmed from scratch in Unity. Handled both development and visual direction, establishing the art style and managing commissioned assets. Fully playable prototype completed, then shelved when the Suika-like market became oversaturated.

UnityC#Physics
03 Rotunda Board Game

Rotunda: The Board Game

A family party game built around games people already know. Familiar social formats like reflex, memory, and word association, packaged into a structured board game. Zero rulebook friction, maximum social energy.

TabletopGame DesignProduction
04 Rotunda Game Show

Rotunda: The Game Show

Adapted the board game into a live-action game show. Restructured rules into mini-games for a viewing audience that read clearly on camera and stayed entertaining for spectators. Pushed me into videography, editing, set design, and storyboarding.

Live FormatSet DesignEditing
05 Project Spell

Project Spell

A mobile and console inventory auto-battler in early development. Built on an expanded KEYWORD system that lets you inject properties into any build component for powerful synergies or spectacular backfires. Premium depth, portable format.

UnityMobileAuto-Battler

Education

Background.

B.S. Computer Science (In Progress)

Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA

Current

A.S. Social Science

Georgia Military College, Augusta, GA

2014 โ€“ 2017

Influences

Games I Love. ๐Ÿ•น๏ธ

The games that stuck with me. Every one of these taught me something I still use today.

The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
1994
You Don't Know Jack
You Don't Know Jack
1995
BYOND
BYOND
1996
Age of Empires II
Age of Empires II
1999
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros.
1999
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
2000
Mega Man Battle Network
Mega Man Battle Network
2001
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
2001
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
2002
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
2002
Pokรฉmon Sapphire
Pokรฉmon Sapphire
2002
Beyblade: Super Tournament Battle
Beyblade: Super Tournament Battle
2003
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes
2003
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
2006
Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon
2006
Naruto Arena
Naruto Arena
~2006
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
CoD: Modern Warfare 2
2009
League of Legends
League of Legends
2009
Melty Blood: AACC
Melty Blood: AACC
2010
NBA 2K11
NBA 2K11
2010
FIFA 12
FIFA 12
2011
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2
2012
Guilty Gear Xrd
Guilty Gear Xrd
2014
Rainbow Six Siege
Rainbow Six Siege
2015
Teamfight Tactics
Teamfight Tactics
2019

Get In Touch

Let's make something
fun together. ๐ŸŽฎ

I'm looking for my next role in game design or UI/UX design. Anywhere I can obsess over systems, interfaces, and player experience.

โœ‰๏ธ aaronthegamedesigner@gmail.com