This is me...

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Niccolò Donati

Game Designer

Designing player-centric experiences with analytic approach.

Do you want to know more about me?

Check my CV

What I do

Design and Prototyping

I design games with a UX-driven approach and present my ideas through design documents and prototypes built using visual scripting.

Teamwork

I know how to listen and communicate effectively, always giving and receiving feedback with a positive attitude.

Balancing and Tuning

I collaborate with programmers to develop systems, then use game engines to balance and fine-tune all gameplay parameters.

Listen to the players

Prioritizing user experience, I gather players’ feedback and use it to continuously improve my work.

My Works

A selection of my projects and papers.

Timeater (2026)

Timeater (2026)

Games
Hex Decima (TBA)

Hex Decima (TBA)

Games
Parthenope (TBA)

Parthenope (TBA)

Games
Letters from the War

Letters from the War

Games
Philosophy of UX. Theories of perception for game design

Philosophy of UX. Theories of perception for game design

Papers and Publications
VapoRun

VapoRun

Games

About Me

Expertise

Game Design

Game Design

Game Direction

Game Direction

UX Design & Accessibility

UX Design & Accessibility

Analytic Philosophy & Cognitive Science

Analytic Philosophy & Cognitive Science

Development

Unity & Unreal

Unity & Unreal

Playmaker & Blueprint

Playmaker & Blueprint

Figma & Adobe XD

Figma & Adobe XD

Google Docs Editors

Google Docs Editors

Experience

07/2026 - TODAY
Testronic

LQA with Italian

I am working in LQA for video games, focusing on language adaptation and cultural pertinence.

01/2026 - TODAY
GFCreativeLab

Quest Designer (Intern)

I am working together with the team on the game Timeater, focusing on writing narrative content, turning it into quests and implementing it in collaboration with programmers and artists (take a look here).

11/2020 - TODAY
Etrurian Games

Founder & Lead Designer

Hex Decima in development.

Published: VapoRun (Google Play Store) and Letters from the War (Steam).

01/2023 - 01/2026
Freelancer

Game & UX Designer

I worked together with University of Florence, Meditec S.r.l. and Lemons in the Room.

10/2024 - 01/2025
Katabasi Studio

UX Designer

I worked together with the team on the game Parthenope, focusing on player progression, user experience and interface design (take a look here).

Education

09/2024 - TODAY
University of Florence

Logic course (Master)

I am attending a Master degree in Logic.

09/2019 - 04/2024
University of Florence

Philosophy course (Bachelor)

Thesis: Philosophy of UX. Theories of perception for game design (second place prize for the best italian thesis about video games. Take a look here).

11/2019 - 09/2022
TheSign Academy

Game Design course

I worked on several projects with different Game Design approaches. I mainly focused on UX Design and accessibility.

09/2014 - 07/2019
Liceo Classico Michelangiolo

High School Degree

During high school years I understood my passions for Philosophy and Design through readings such as The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman.

07/2018
British Institute of Florence

B2 English Certificate

First Certificate in English.

Awards

11/2020
CineGame Jam

Best Game and Audience Favourite

With my team I won the Best Game and the Audience prizes with the game Metro Monster at the CineGame Jam organised by Cineteca Milano (take a look here).

More about me

I play bass, especially classic rock, adopt an analytic approach to philosophy, and stay active at the gym. A lifelong gamer, I studied game design with a focus on UX and accessibility. To fund my university years, I worked as a summer-camp counselor, event steward and in customer service.

I worked with