Hardcore Gamer Wanted – Get Paid to Play & Analyze Games
Who I am I’m Tim from Dream Fall Studios. I lead a team of 10+ people working on a PS1-style horror / mystery game. I’m looking for the kind of person I used to argue with on forums at 3 AM about level design and old PC trash—someone who lives and breathes games, knows way too many of them, and is happy to get paid to talk and think about them. What this job actually is I pay you (part-time) to: Play games with me (mostly PC + PS5, games provided by me) Talk about them in depth – level design, quests, pacing, visuals, audio, jank, everything Help turn those thoughts into two big “ultimate” documents about game design The two documents we’re aiming for: Ultimate Game Design Guide Clear “do this / don’t do this” rules for shooters, horror, RPG, immersive sims, etc. Real examples from actual games we’ve played. “Never Get Stuck Again” Guide Why players get stuck in games and how to get out of it. The guide will help people to always reason their way forward without needing YouTube or walkthroughs. I don’t need corporate talk. I need honest, specific, game-brain opinions that we can structure into something useful. What you’ll actually be doing with me Playing a mix of: Classic and modern games Horror and weird PC titles Indie games, MMORPG PS1/PS2-era style games Community mods, fan missions, experimental stuff We do this while talking on voice chat. We'll be breaking down: Why a level “flows” or doesn’t Why a puzzle is fair vs bullshit How visuals, sound and scripting affect tension and pacing Writing your thoughts in simple, clear bullets or short paragraphs so we can build the docs from them You don’t have to be a novelist. You just have to explain what you’re thinking in a way another human can understand. Who I’m trying to hire This is you if: You’ve played hundreds of different games across your life. You can easily list 100–200+ games from memory you’ve actually played. You know and care about older / niche stuff, not just current AAA. If names like these feel normal to you, not “obscure trivia”: Daikatana, Harvester, Trespasser, Pathologic, System Shock, Thief, Silent Hill, Resident Evil (classic), weird Eurojank shooters, strange adventure games, fan campaigns, source ports… …then you’re exactly the kind of person I want. You should: Play games every week, not “once in a while” Enjoy talking about design, systems, and “why this part sucked / ruled” Be okay being honest and critical, not just “everything is awesome” Requirements (practical stuff) PC capable of running modern and older games PS5 capable of playing current titles (big plus / ideally yes) Stable internet for online co-op / screenshare Available about 10 hours per week (e.g. 2 hours a day, 5 days a week) at roughly the same times Comfortable with $10/hour – this is a paid passion side gig, not a full-time salary How to apply In your application / cover letter, please include: 10 games you’ve played that you think most people today have never heard of, with 1 short line each on why they’re interesting. One game you think is brilliantly designed and one you think is badly designed, with a few sentences each explaining why (from a design/feel perspective, not “graphics good/bad”). If you read all this and thought “finally, someone is looking for exactly what I do for fun,” then yes — I’m talking to you. Apply tot his job