Dante Smith
Manchester,UK
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Level Designer
ForthStar
Manchester, UK
2025.07 - 2026.04
- Delivered playable levels under tight iteration cycles, taking concepts from idea to in-game for a new gameplay experience within the genre
- Designed replayable combat scenarios using physics-driven, multi-solution gameplay
- Iterated on levels through playtesting and team feedback to improve quality
- Contributed to scalable level systems
- Worked cross-discipline to deliver more polished gameplay content
- Helped identify and resolve gameplay issues to enhance player experience
Level Designer
Unity
Stratford Upon Avon, UK
2023.07 - 2024.07
- Defined level design metrics and workflows from concept to final implementation
- Implemented gameplay features using scripting tools for rapid iteration
- Collaborated cross-discipline to improve level design systems and pipelines
- Balanced levels against technical constraints, camera behaviour, and player experience
- Partnered with QA to track, prioritise, and resolve bugs across development.
Junior Level Designer
SIGTRAPgames
Manchester, UK
2021.11 - 2023.01
- Collaborated cross-discipline to iterate and improve level design quality
- Helped develop and refine in-house tools, streamlining level design workflows
- Designed combat encounters with strong focus on placement, cover, and sightlines
- Contributed to design solutions aligned with gameplay goals
- Ensured levels met performance and memory constraints through optimisation
Junior Level Designer
Mergegames
Manchester, UK
2021.06 - 2021.11
- Built on an existing large-scale environment to enhance exploration and player discovery
- Designed resource and enemy placement to support gameplay flow
- Expanded the world through set dressing, environmental storytelling, and hidden content
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Games Design
Futureworks (UCLan)
Manchester, UK 2017.01 - 2020.01
Diploma of Higher Education - Games Design
AldridgeUTC@MediaCityUK
Manchester, UK 2015.01 - 2017.01
Skills
- Engines: Unity, Unreal
- Scripting: Custom In-House Tooling experience
- Design: Blockouts, Encounter Design, Puzzle Design, Combat Balancing
- Collaboration: Cross-Disciplinary Communication, QA Feedback Integration
- Tools: Jira, Confluence, Miro, Git, Perforce
- Others: Playtesting, Documentation, Set Dressing
Timeline
Level Designer
ForthStar
2025.07 - 2026.04
Level Designer
Unity
2023.07 - 2024.07
Junior Level Designer
SIGTRAPgames
2021.11 - 2023.01
Junior Level Designer
Mergegames
2021.06 - 2021.11
Bachelor of Arts - Games Design
Futureworks (UCLan)
2017.01 - 2020.01
Diploma of Higher Education - Games Design
AldridgeUTC@MediaCityUK
2015.01 - 2017.01