Game Designer (Mobile Gamification)

Innerchild; United States; Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Innerchild is seeking a talented Game Designer to develop a gamified mobile application aimed at enhancing mental well-being. The designer will collaborate closely with the Lead Psychologist to craft engaging mechanics that motivate users in their self-care journey.

The role requires designing game systems, progression frameworks, and a supportive user experience. We're looking for someone with experience in game design, particularly within mobile free-to-play mechanics, and a passion for making a positive impact on mental health.

Qualifications

• Experience as a game designer with shipped projects.
• Strong understanding of mobile game mechanics and progression design.
• Experience working with AI tools for ideation.

Responsibilities

• Design the core game loop and progression system.
• Define player motivation and retention systems.
• Create quests, collections, rewards, and celebrations.
• Design onboarding experiences and documentation.
• Collaborate with design teams on UX flows.
• Define success metrics and run iteration loops.

Skills

Octalysis Framework

Game design

Mobile free-to-play mechanics

Collaboration with product and UX teams

Strong documentation skills

Job description

We’re looking for a talented Game Designer to join Inner Child once the project is able to offer a paid role. We’re currently applying for government grants and expect to secure initial funding soon. We’re building our shortlist now and plan to hire in approximately 3–5 months.

About the Project

Inner Child is a startup developing a gamified mobile mental well‑being application designed to help people who did not experience enough love and care in childhood and therefore developed self‑perception challenges such as lack of self‑love and self‑worth. These issues often underlie other mental difficulties, including self‑criticism, low self‑esteem, stress/anxiety, emotional overwhelm, feelings of loneliness, and lack of support. We aim to help users address these root causes through the concept of the Inner Child. To make the journey of self‑improvement less heavy and more engaging, the application will be gamified.

The Role

You’ll design a gamification framework around the inner child care practices such as inner dialog with the inner child, daily tasks to connect and make the Inner Child happy, rpg game‑like mini therapeutic sessions for psycho education, reward mechanisms for every day login and tasks execution. You’ll design the core game systems that make self‑care feel motivating, safe, and magical — without turning mental well‑being into pressure or “grind.” You’ll work closely with the Lead Psychologist and the Head of Design to bring the product to life through rewards, feedback, pacing, and playful rituals.

Responsibilities

• Design the core game loop and progression system.
• Define player motivation and retention systems that feel supportive, not addictive or stressful.
• Create and balance mechanics such as quests, streaks, collections, unlocks, rewards, and celebrations.
• Design onboarding and early‑game experiences that quickly communicate and deliver value.
• Write clear game design documentation: mechanics specs, economy tables, progression curves, and feature briefs.
• Collaborate with design on UX flows, rewards visuals, animation moments, and “delight” interactions.
• Define success metrics and run iteration loops using analytics, playtests, and user feedback.
• Help shape the long‑term roadmap for gamification features and social/engagement ideas if appropriate.

Requirements

• Knowledge about and experience with Octalysis Framework.
• Proven experience as a game designer or product/game systems designer with shipped projects.
• Strong understanding of mobile free‑to‑play mechanics and progression design.
• Experience collaborating with product, UX, and engineering teams.
• Strong documentation and communication skills.
• Capability to work with AI tools for ideation and spec‑writing while also performing deep systems thinking independently.
• You want to make the world a better place.

Nice to Have

• Experience in wellness, mental health, education, or “meaningful games.”
• Experience with narrative systems, character progression, or avatar/pet mechanics.
• Familiarity with A/B testing and live‑ops iteration.
• Understanding of ethical design and harm‑minimization in engagement loops.