Want to be a member of a whole new world? Our game project “Planet X” awaits!

Details of the Project

The project is sponsored by the Humanities Research Centre PETAL lab.

We adopt the model of strategic games to create an “alternative world”, in which one plays as a will of the state on “Planet X”, thus separated from his/her real-life identity & socioeconomic status, and explore people’s possible ethical choices facing the dilemma between development and the need of countering environmental crisis.

What you may get out of the project

Unique contributions to the Planet X game world.
Specialized working and learning experiences for your future pathways.
Opportunities to communicate with professionals.
The happiest working environment and a group of friends.
Professional training and practice opportunities on game design

Application procedure

Fill out the application form corresponding to your position and attach the required materials in your email. Different requirements are described in the application forms.
Attach previous related works should you have any.
Send your application email to jh678@duke.edu before November 12^th.
Please make sure your email title is formatted as “Planet X Application + the position you want to apply for + your name”.
Wait for our response. We plan to finalize the reply to all applications before November 15^th.
If we think you fit the position well, a short interview will be arranged between you and the current team. More details are to be released later as per your application status.

Available Positions

Programmer

You will be implementing other team members’ ideas into a working video game. You are going to learning how to program in Unity (C#) and how to collaboratively work on a large programing task as a group.
We prefer students with programming experiences. We also welcome novices with strong self-learning ability and have interests in game programming.
If we finish this project, this could be a highlight in your resume!
For the interview if you pass the first round of application, our chief programmer will ask you to solve some problems or improve some programs face-to-face.

Click here for the Programmer Application Form.

Art designer

- You will turn concepts into visualizations, design and develop a digital art asset base of interactive components and user interfaces. You are expected to work approximately 5 hours per week.
- We hope that you have:
  a) advanced skills in drawing/illustration;
  b) experiences in digital art-making using creative tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, etc.;
  c) willingness to learn, good communication skills and team spirits.

Additionally, basic skills in digital animation/ UI/UX design / the Unity engine / 3D modelling are preferred. Should you have any of these skills please also mention them in the application form.

Expectations for the interview if accepted in the first round of application: You will be given a theme and asked to create a rough sketch within 30 minutes. You will then explain how your work demonstrates your understanding of the theme to the interviewer. Click here for the Art Designer Application Form

Content designer

What do you need to know to be a content designer?

As a content designer, your contribution will be one of the most important compositions of the game. You need to prepare the basic game mechanism, the background settings, the storyline, and all the content that players need to know. Specially, you need to design some policies, events, technologies and other game objects in the game. This requires you to be creative, coming up with interesting and novel ideas to make the game attractive. Moreover, we wish you to hold more social responsibility. Your design can be influential to players, all the settings, the mechanism, even the background story are transmitting signals which are your attitude about global governing and environmental protection. One of our original purposes of Planet X is guiding players to become a better person, to have a deeper understanding of his government, society, and the planet he lives.

Games are not only entertainment but a simulation of human society. We hope you, the rising content designer of Planet X, can remember this, and pass this belief to the next generation of game design.

Qualities we expect to see on Planet X content designer:
Research skills on finding references and academic results, such as environmental challenges, current policies, and new technologies.
Creativity!!! Creating a world simulation is easy, but not fun for players.
Writing skills, may work on a different genre and write massive content.
Basic knowledge of social science and ethics.
Enthusiasm in game design, it is fine if you are not familiar, as long as you are eager to learn.

Click here for the Content Designer Application Form