About The Company
Pebble is an innovative startup founded by seasoned entrepreneurs with backgrounds at Google and Synthesia. Our mission is to revolutionize the way children engage with digital content by creating safe, educational, and engaging experiences powered by artificial intelligence. We are assembling a talented team of engineers, artists, and educators to develop groundbreaking interfaces that bridge AI technology and childhood development. Our vision is to craft a new paradigm of interactive learning where AI acts as a nurturing and intelligent companion, fostering curiosity, creativity, and emotional growth in children aged 6 to 10. With a focus on responsible innovation, Pebble aims to influence the future of educational entertainment and parenting in the digital age.
About The Role
We are seeking a passionate and visionary Founding Game Designer to lead the development of our innovative AI-powered exploration game for children. As the first game designer at Pebble, you will be instrumental in shaping the core gameplay experience, designing systems that enable a procedurally generated, emergent world driven by voice interactions with an AI companion. Your role involves creating engaging exploration, pacing, and progression mechanics that inspire curiosity and foster meaningful relationships between children and the AI. You will work closely with the engineering, art, and child development teams to build frameworks from scratch within the Godot 4 environment, ensuring the content adapts dynamically to each child's interests and developmental needs. This is a unique opportunity to pioneer a new genre of educational gaming that combines procedural content, AI, and child-centric design to redefine interactive learning and play.
Qualifications
Pebble is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe that a diverse team enhances creativity, innovation, and the overall impact of our mission. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration without regard to any protected status.
Pebble is an innovative startup founded by seasoned entrepreneurs with backgrounds at Google and Synthesia. Our mission is to revolutionize the way children engage with digital content by creating safe, educational, and engaging experiences powered by artificial intelligence. We are assembling a talented team of engineers, artists, and educators to develop groundbreaking interfaces that bridge AI technology and childhood development. Our vision is to craft a new paradigm of interactive learning where AI acts as a nurturing and intelligent companion, fostering curiosity, creativity, and emotional growth in children aged 6 to 10. With a focus on responsible innovation, Pebble aims to influence the future of educational entertainment and parenting in the digital age.
About The Role
We are seeking a passionate and visionary Founding Game Designer to lead the development of our innovative AI-powered exploration game for children. As the first game designer at Pebble, you will be instrumental in shaping the core gameplay experience, designing systems that enable a procedurally generated, emergent world driven by voice interactions with an AI companion. Your role involves creating engaging exploration, pacing, and progression mechanics that inspire curiosity and foster meaningful relationships between children and the AI. You will work closely with the engineering, art, and child development teams to build frameworks from scratch within the Godot 4 environment, ensuring the content adapts dynamically to each child's interests and developmental needs. This is a unique opportunity to pioneer a new genre of educational gaming that combines procedural content, AI, and child-centric design to redefine interactive learning and play.
Qualifications
- Shipped at least one game or interactive product with ownership of core design decisions such as progression, pacing, systems, or economy.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating systems thinking and designing rules that produce emergent player behavior.
- Proven ability to prototype quickly and iterate based on playtesting results.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate design concepts clearly to multidisciplinary teams.
- Experience working as the first designer in a project, making foundational decisions with limited prior frameworks.
- Strong visual sensibility and opinions about art direction.
- Genuine curiosity about how children think, play, and learn, with an interest in designing for a young audience (6-10 years old).
- Comfort working with generative systems, designing constraints, rules, and possibility spaces for procedural content.
- Define and develop the core gameplay mechanics, including exploration systems, pacing, and progression tailored for children.
- Design engaging interactions between children and AI companions that foster curiosity and emotional investment.
- Create and refine design frameworks for procedural and voice-driven content within the Godot 4 engine.
- Collaborate with engineers, artists, and educators to ensure the game’s systems align with developmental and educational goals.
- Prototype, test, and iterate on game mechanics based on user feedback and playtesting data.
- Contribute to visual and art direction input to ensure a cohesive aesthetic aligned with the game’s educational and engaging objectives.
- Work at the intersection of game design, child development, and AI to pioneer innovative experiences that go beyond traditional gaming.
- Document design decisions and communicate effectively with team members to facilitate seamless development processes.
- Competitive salary ranging from 80,000 to 110,000 GBP, commensurate with experience.
- Strong equity participation providing long-term ownership opportunities.
- Flexible work arrangements, including in-person work from London Shoreditch or remote options for the right candidate.
- Opportunity to work on pioneering projects at the forefront of AI and educational gaming.
- Collaborate with a passionate team of industry veterans and innovative technologists.
- Engage in meaningful work that has the potential to influence the future of childhood education and digital interaction.
Pebble is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe that a diverse team enhances creativity, innovation, and the overall impact of our mission. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration without regard to any protected status.