João Henrique Ramos
Senior Game Designer with 9+ years of experience, specializing in systems design, combat design, 3C, progression, and core gameplay. Currently Lead Game Designer on Profane, combining team leadership with hands-on design work across gameplay systems, balance, prototyping, and documentation.
Experience
INSANE
Lead Game Designer
FEBRUARY 2023 – PRESENT
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Partner with the Game Director to define design direction and translate product goals into system priorities and team execution
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Led a team of game designers, ensuring alignment with project goals and creative direction
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Contributed to strategic project decisions, influencing priorities, scope, and overall product direction
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Oversaw the full design pipeline from concept to implementation, maintaining quality and consistency across all design areas
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Mentored and supported designers across all levels, fostering ownership, autonomy, and professional growth
Senior Game Designer
AUGUST 2020 - FEBRUARY 2023
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Designed core systems for Profane, a sandbox MMORPG, including major gameplay loops, progression, economy, and balance structures.
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Designed third-person action combat and 3C features, focusing on responsiveness, readability, and moment-to-moment gameplay feel.
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Worked hands-on in-engine with Unity, scripting, and visual scripting to prototype systems, tune gameplay, and support implementation.
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Designed internal tools and workflows to streamline content creation and support design team autonomy.
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Authored design documentation and technical specs to support engineering, art, content creation, and cross-disciplinary implementation
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Created balance models for combat, progression, economy, and itemization systems
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Built AI behaviors using behavior trees to support dynamic PvE encounters
Hoplon
Game Designer
MARCH 2017 - JULY 2020
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Led the full design and implementation of four playable characters: Icebringer, Stargazer, Peacemaker, and Vulture
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Designed social features including Report, Friends, Mute, and Block systems to improve player interaction and safety
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Managed LiveOps character balance, leveraging player feedback and analytics to improve engagement and fairness
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Created feature proposals focused on improving player retention and match pacing
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Conducted UX tests to identify onboarding issues and improve first-time user experience
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Prototyped gameplay features using Unity and proprietary visual scripting tools
Education
UNIVALI - Bachelor's Digital Games
2012 - 2016
Skills
Design Skills
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Systems Design
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Combat Design
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3C (Character, Camera, Controls)
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Game Balance
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Progression Systems
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Economy & Itemization
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AI & Encounter Design
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Sandbox/MMORPG Systems
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LiveOps Balance
Technical Skills
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Unity
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Unreal Engine (UE5)
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Blueprints
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Visual Scripting
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C#
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Google Apps Scripts / Javascript
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Spreadsheets