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Game Design Leadership & Expertise

Alexis De Girolami has extensive experience leading game design and development teams. She is currently the Lead Game Designer at Electric Manta, where she directs multidisciplinary teams to develop games from concept through production. Previously, she held lead design roles at Future Games of London, Big Fish Games, and PopCap Games, where she oversaw the design of systems, gameplay, and live operations to achieve business goals.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
3K views3 pages

Game Design Leadership & Expertise

Alexis De Girolami has extensive experience leading game design and development teams. She is currently the Lead Game Designer at Electric Manta, where she directs multidisciplinary teams to develop games from concept through production. Previously, she held lead design roles at Future Games of London, Big Fish Games, and PopCap Games, where she oversaw the design of systems, gameplay, and live operations to achieve business goals.
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Alexis De Girolami Product Owner &

[Link]@[Link] Creative Leader

Summary
• Extensive knowledge of live software and game development environments,
particularly those with prominent IPs; comfortable developing roadmaps that weigh
business goals against practical constraints
• Pro ciency in prototyping and re ning products from initial goals through design,
implementation, and A/B testing—leading cross-functional teams to achieve a
product vision
• Experience in tools development and training for content creators, speci cally
across art and design pipelines

Experience
Lead Game Designer | Electric Manta
In-Production (August 2021 – Present)
▪ Directing multidisciplinary teams remotely across Europe, India, and the United
States, working from product concept through validation and production as Team
Lead and Product Owner
▪ Drives all core feature decisions, working with team designers, artists,
engineering, and QA to establish goals and implementation acceptance criteria
▪ De nes design, UX, and KPI expectations with the Creative Director across the
studio, evangelizing those decisions to the senior leadership team, partners, and
prospective investors
▪ Plays a critical role in building and communicating studio business and creative
goals company-wide

Lead Game Designer | Future Games of London Ltd, an Ubisoft Studio


Miscellaneous (February 2020 – August 2021)
▪ Lead Designer and Product Owner, overseeing the design and development of all
game systems
▪ Responsible for leading a multidisciplinary team from initial game concept
through prototype, incubation, production, and release
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▪ Rapidly prototypes numerous core game loops before moving projects into
incubation and production
▪ Determines KPI goals and economic loops (retention, engagement, and
monetization) for all game systems and ensures they achieve long term player
health
▪ Works with senior leadership, publishing, and support teams to ensure
milestones and strategic goals are met on a studio, division, and company level

Senior Game Designer | Big Fish Games


Miscellaneous (September 2016 – January 2020)
▪ Lead design of primary systems, working with leadership, business development,
and project management to de ne the product strategy, ensuring milestones are
completed on schedule
▪ Spearhead development of core gameplay design; collaborating with engineering,
art, and UX to prototype and develop those systems; continue to re ne product
direction via routine user testing and data analysis
▪ Design and implement entire onboarding experience, working with engineering
on developing tools that minimize developer overhead; utilize user testing &
gathered analytics to iterate on points of confusion and negative user experience
▪ Collaborate with economy designer and content designers on the team to re ne
content strategy for an ideal customer experience, taking into account
monetization and reengagement KPIs de ned by leadership

Game Designer II | PopCap Games


Bejeweled Franchise (August 2013 – June 2016)
▪ Lead Designer of Bejeweled Stars, overseeing the design and development of all
systems and content
▪ Rapidly prototyped a wide variety of mechanics and potential product directions
for the Bejeweled franchise, working as the sole designer on a small, agile team in
Unity before Stars advanced into production
▪ Lead the design of match- gameplay, working with engineering and art
leadership to prioritize and implement all core gameplay functionality and tuning
▪ Established content standards and developed large swaths of content for Stars,
ensuring both customer enjoyment and achievement of target KPIs
▪ Aided in defining tools requirements for Bejeweled Stars and future products,
specifically regarding creative workflow for continued live content development

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Game Designer I | Zynga


Unannounced Mobile/Web IP & CastleVille (September 2012 – June 2013)
▪ Created game content, developed onboarding strategies, balanced existing
systems, and modi ed content based off user research and product goals under
tight deadlines
▪ Designed, implemented, and balanced weekly live game content for CastleVille

Languages & Software


C#, JavaScript, Python, JSON, Java, SQL

Of ce, Perforce, JIRA, Adobe Suite (especially Photoshop), Google Suite, Notion,
Unity, Unreal Engine

Education
University of Central Florida | August 2011 – December 2012
M.S. in Interactive Entertainment

University of Florida | July 2006 – May 2011


B.S. in Computer Engineering – Digital Arts and Sciences
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Common questions

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Alexis De Girolami employs strategic evaluation of business objectives against practical development constraints to balance game roadmaps. This involves a comprehensive understanding of live software and game development environments. He incorporates prototyping, user testing, and A/B testing to iteratively refine product designs, ensuring that they meet business goals while navigating technical and resource limitations. By directing multidisciplinary teams and setting design, UX, and KPI expectations collaboratively with senior leadership, he ensures that the roadmaps are feasible and aligned with both creative and financial objectives .

At Electric Manta, Alexis De Girolami directs multidisciplinary teams remotely across diverse geographical regions such as Europe, India, and the United States. His role involves overseeing the entire product development lifecycle from initial conception through validation and production as both a Team Lead and Product Owner. This position requires him to make all core feature decisions and work closely with designers, artists, engineering, and QA to establish goals and implementation acceptance criteria. His leadership is further exemplified by his involvement in defining design, UX, and KPIs across the studio and effectively communicating these directives to senior leadership, partners, and prospective investors, which showcases his comprehensive management capabilities .

Alexis De Girolami employs user testing and data analysis as critical tools to refine gameplay design and enhance user experience. While at Big Fish Games, he led the development of core gameplay systems by collaborating extensively across engineering, art, and UX teams. Through routine user testing, he continuously refines product direction, identifying areas for improvement based on user feedback. He further employs data analysis to iterate on onboarding experiences and address negative user experiences, thus ensuring that the game design meets both user needs and predefined KPIs for engagement and monetization .

In his roles as a game designer, Alexis De Girolami has significantly contributed to content strategy and customer experience enhancement by collaborating with economy designers and content designers. At Big Fish Games, he refined content strategies by aligning them with monetization and re-engagement KPIs defined by leadership. This involved designing entire onboarding experiences and implementing gameplay systems that maximize user engagement. By conducting user testing and analyzing feedback, he iterated on design elements that confused players or detracted from the intended experience, ensuring a seamless and satisfying customer journey .

Alexis De Girolami approaches the integration of new mechanics within established franchises by employing rapid prototyping to explore a variety of potential directions. When working on the Bejeweled franchise, he led the design of match-3 gameplay and prioritized the development and tuning of core gameplay functionality alongside engineering and art leadership. This process included establishing content standards and creating mechanics that adhered to the franchise's essence while also achieving target KPIs. His approach is characterized by balancing innovation with user expectations and franchise integrity, ensuring the new mechanics enhance the overall player experience .

Prototyping is central to Alexis De Girolami's game design approach, particularly with the Bejeweled franchise. As the lead designer of Bejeweled Stars, he utilized rapid prototyping to explore various mechanics and potential product directions during the game's initial stages. Working solo on a small, agile team in Unity, he leveraged this process to develop and evaluate core gameplay functionality. By doing so, he was able to identify promising game mechanics that contributed to the advancement of Bejeweled Stars into production, ensuring that the game met customer enjoyment standards and achieved target KPIs .

At Future Games of London, Alexis De Girolami demonstrated the ability to oversee comprehensive game system development by leading a multidisciplinary team from initial game concept through to prototype, incubation, production, and eventual release. As the Lead Designer and Product Owner, he was responsible for ensuring that all game systems aligned with long-term strategic goals. This entailed rapid prototyping, establishing economic loops for retention and monetization, and collaborating with senior leadership and support teams to meet milestones. His role highlights his capacity to manage the full spectrum of game development processes efficiently .

Alexis De Girolami ensures long-term player health by determining KPI goals and integrating them into the economic loops of all game systems during his time at Future Games of London Ltd. He emphasizes retention, engagement, and monetization as critical components of these loops. By rapidly prototyping core game loops before advancing projects into incubation and production, he evaluates gameplay mechanics and their potential impact on player retention and monetization. This strategy involves collaborating with senior leadership and support teams to ensure that these systems align with broader strategic goals at the studio, division, and company levels .

Alexis De Girolami's expertise in live content development and tools requirements greatly enhances ongoing creative workflow processes. His work on Bejeweled Stars involved aiding in defining tools requirements that facilitate the continued live content development. This involves creating efficient workflows that allow for the seamless incorporation of new content, thereby supporting the game's long-term engagement and retention objectives. By understanding the technical requirements needed for live content updates, De Girolami ensures that content creators can work more efficiently and that updates align with the game's KPIs and creative goals .

Alexis De Girolami's educational background in Interactive Entertainment, with a Master's degree from the University of Central Florida, has provided him with a foundational understanding of game development principles and techniques. His Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering—Digital Arts and Sciences from the University of Florida further equipped him with technical skills in programming and digital arts. These educational qualifications have supported his capabilities in game design and development, enabling him to lead multidisciplinary teams and contribute significantly to prominent gaming projects throughout his career .

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