Getting to Knowmade: Daniel Black, Level Designer
Daniel Black
Level Designer
Time to meet Daniel (one of our many - we pride ourselves on such a collection of Daniels) and get to know everything there is to know about what makes him, and his designs, tick!
If you don’t know what level design is, we’ll level with you (ha) - it’s all the areas and fun encounter spaces you’ll play through in a game, from full blown dungeons to basic obstacle courses. Suffice to say, Dan knows his way upside down and sideways through a 3D space - which is helpful, really, considering he has to make them every day…
Welcome, Daniel! Tell us - what is it you do at Glowmade?
I'm a level designer. I put objects, enemies and environments together to make fun stages for the player to explore.
Now how would your parents describe your job?
They would likely struggle to say anything beyond my title, but they know that I'm working on a game and they finally appreciate that my years in front of my Sega Mega Drive did not go to waste.
So how did you get to this point in your career?
I started as an indie dev, making my own point-and-click adventure game, before landing my first professional games industry role as a level designer at King, working on a match-3 game. I spent the next few years in casual mobile before making the wonderful leap to Glowmade.
What’s your origin story? What made you want to pursue games?
Ah man, it's quite cheesy. I was in Chicago doing an improvised theatre course. Something about doing a hobby that I loved for weeks on end and having a big change of environment got me thinking about the truth behind the phrase 'you only live once,' and made me reflect on my career choices. I'd always dreamed of working in the games industry, and finally decided to try to turn this dream into reality.
Share something you love doing outside of everything video games.
I love playing (and sometimes running) Dungeons and Dragons. It combines my love for games with my love for improvised theatre.
Who or what inspires you?
Another cheesy answer: my wife. She has many qualities that inspire me to try to be a better person, such as always seeing the best in people.
(Aww… I love love :’))
Share something you appreciate about yourself. Give yaself a pat on the back, why don’t ya?
I try to be conscious of how other people are feeling and treat them in a way that I would want to be treated.
“Relax.”
What's the best thing about working at Glowmade?
The people. They're lovely. Everyone I've spoken to has been friendly and inclusive, and also generous with their time when I've needed help.
What do you want from your career? Any goals you’re looking forward to surpassing?
That's pretty tough to answer, since I feel like I've already reached a massive goal in landing a level design role on a game that I'm excited about at an awesome studio. For now I'm just focussed on learning and growing in the role.
What are your top tips for someone looking to get into games?
Make games, build a portfolio, connect with people in the industry by joining real world events and online communities.
In your opinion, who is the keeper of the cutest Glowmade pet?
Daisy-may has a deliberately ugly soft toy on her desk which I have to admit did grow on me.
(Surprisingly, I have yet to see this toy, and from this description I’m 50/50 on if I even want to…)
What game do you wish you could’ve been part of developing?
Another tough one. I could pick a game that I loved, but then, wouldn't my involvement potentially change it to the point where it wouldn't be the game that I loved any more?
Having said that, I'll go ahead and pick my favourite game of all time, Deus Ex, since I have a lot of respect for the design that went into it. I'm actually currently replaying it, I think it still holds up after all these years.
