Rodrigo Costa | Portfolio
RODRIGO
COSTA
Alignment
I stay close to stakeholders and the team to clarify goals, capture constraints, and turn them into concrete decisions. I keep an eye on any change to track the impact on the development. I follow a game from definition to release, watching for risks and unblocking issues as they appear. This gives the team steady direction and fewer surprises.
Full-stack
I have knowledge in coding and art, which can be translated to prototype mechanics, or implement the designed level in the engine. I sync with engineers and artists to shape scope and technical risks. With my film background, I'm able to create story arcs, dialogue, and storyboards. I can also shape the intended experience with UI mocks and UX flows.
Documentation
I like to keep documentation short and useful. I believe it's important to state the goal, rules, and edge cases. I tend to use spreadsheets as the source of data for systems and economy, and set formulas and charts to explain any behavior. When words aren’t enough, I add diagrams, storyboards, or quick animations so the team can have a clear vision of the game.
I’m a senior game designer with 5+ years of experience, who work to turn ideas into fun games. With wide experience across development, I bridge art, code, and production to build clear, fair systems that feel good to play. I aim for clarity, flow, and the kind of feel that keeps players engaged.
Education
Game Design
Postgraduate Specialization
Unyleya, 2022
Focus on digital games and gamification: narratives, characters, gameplay foundations, interactive storytelling, interfaces, digital art, Unreal Engine, and market practices. Supports system/loop design, fast prototyping, event/retention planning, and metric-aligned delivery.
Animated Film
Bachelor’s Degree
UFPel, 2014
Four-year program covering the full animation pipeline for film/TV/ streaming, with exposure to games. Emphasizes visual storytelling, camera, timing, and storyboards, skills directly applied to cutscenes, onboarding clarity, UI motion, and cinematic gameplay feedback.
Visual Communication
Technical Diploma
IFSul, 2012
Training in typography, layout, identity, illustration, and signage for print and digital, which provides a solid ground to provide meaning and expression for the game development. It's highlighted when building a level or UI design, with visual hierarchy, composition, and iconography.
Tools
Unity (C#)
Unreal/UEFN
Fork (Git)
Web (CSS/PHP/SQL)
ProBuilder
Tiled/Tilemap
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere
Spine
Blender
Google Docs
Google Sheets
Confluence
Figma
Miro
Airtable
Work
UniqKiller
UniqKiller is a F2P topdown third-person shooter, PvP, with automatic shooting. Combine different types of bodies, classes, skills, weapons, skins, and battles in urban environments.
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I worked designing some systems and levels. I also prototyped all the designed levels to guarantee they were fun and balanced, before the art team seps in.
Deepest Trench
Deepest Trench has a gripping narrative that drives the player, immersing it in a covert operation deep beneath the ocean’s surface. Decisions and choices shape the game with puzzles that challenge while uncovering the story.
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In this game, I created puzzles that connects with the story, and that would take the most of a co-op gameplay. I also designed and built almost every level of the game.
Pet Shop Fever: Animal Hotel
In Pet Shop Fever, you organize your stations, serve pet hotel guests, and unlock upgrades. For fans of dog games or hotel games. It has a time-based multitasking game.
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I initially worked in the project as an animator, rigging and animating the pets and people characters, but later I returned to build new levels and balance the existing ones.
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Arena Fenae: Classics
Arena Fenae Apcef Classics is a free web and mobile hub where Caixa employees, retirees and their families play online board-game staples: Chess, Checkers, Dominoes, Canasta and Sudok. It has casual rooms or prize tournaments.
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I worked helping designing the platform and integrating the five game with a cross-game score and ranking system, and designed the multiplayer format for these games.​​
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I worked in many projects, but most are protect by NDA. My work includes:
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​​Build core game loops, mechanics and systems.
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Design and balance stats, items, power ups.
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Work with currencies, pricing, and monetization.
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Create story arc, design characters, and write dialogues.
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And more...
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Design quests and rewards.
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Design levels environments and themes.
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Design levels challenges and enemies.
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Make complex systems intuitive.
Experiences
Main Leaf
Game designer | Remote
2020 ~2025
Brazilian game development company, with primary market in the USA and Canada, that offers diverse services in game development. I worked as a generalist game designer for 5 years, sometimes as animator when needed.
IFSul
Educational designer
2012 ~ 2023
IFSul is a public institute in southern Brazil. I spent 11 years there as an instructional designer, developing courses and other materials to help students, while managing the hypermedia team across numerous projects.
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About
I’m a senior game designer, and I’d like to share why I want to keep developing games. I’ve been making little games since I was a kid. Over time I found myself between art, code, and design, but game design is where it all came together. Game jams were my start: first as an artist, then coding. The more I learned, the more I was fascinated by how tiny choices turn interactive media into truly fun, engaging experiences.
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At work, I build core loops, define rules and systems, tune stats for balance, and design currencies, pricing, and monetization with player trust in mind. Even when it’s just text, my art background help me see the shape of the final product. I'm all about making mechanics, levels, story arcs, quests, and dialogue, always thinking about space, pacing, and how it will feel to play. I love making complex systems intuitive, always partnering closely with engineering and art so every step moves us toward the same goal.
Did you know?
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Pokémon is my favorite series, especially the main line games. I love the depth of battles, with stats, abilities, Nature, EVs and all the battle mechanics. I even started a personal project to remake/rebalance Pokémon Crystal, just for fun.
