GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Teaching First-Time Level Designers for 'Infinity Nikki'
Kentaro Tominaga (Sub-Director, Infold Games)
Location: Room 2006, West Hall
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Indie Games Summit Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Design, Game Career Development
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: Video
Audience Level: All
Level design is often viewed as expensive handicraft. For young developers looking for a career in level design, it can be a long, lonely journey. Infold Games originated as a mobile dress-up and romance simulation studio, and had never worked on 3D platformer or openworld games before 'Infinity Nikki'. Within 5 years, the team scaled to near 1,000 at launch. Most designers are young, passionate first-timers and much of its in-game design came from continuous bottom-up inspirations.This talk will share the 3 layers of developer coaching that Kentaro Tominaga implemented at Infold Games and iterated day-to-day: translate, communicate, debate. In light of his methodology, he will present cases behind real-life design decisions.On the surface, these practices may appear basic, can sometimes slow development and are seemingly expensive. However, its application on the 'Infinity Nikki' team has shown to be effective for the training and growth of young designers, underscoring that investment in team coaching is always worth it.
Takeaway
Attendees will gain insights into how Infold Games approached training level designers behind the development of 'Infinity Nikki'. They will gain an understanding of the coaching principles adopted by the studio, and hopefully become motivated to reach for a breakthrough in team capabilities, similar to what Infold Games achieved.
Intended Audience
Developers of all experience levels are welcome.
