This is me...
Niccolò Donati
Game Designer
Designing player-centric experiences with analytic approach.
Do you want to know more about me?
Check my CVWhat 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.
About Me
Expertise
Game Design
Game Direction
UX Design & Accessibility
Analytic Philosophy & Cognitive Science
Development
Unity & Unreal
Playmaker & Blueprint
Figma & Adobe XD
Google Docs Editors
Experience
07/2026 - TODAY
TestronicLQA with Italian
I am working in LQA for video games, focusing on language adaptation and cultural pertinence.
01/2026 - TODAY
GFCreativeLabQuest 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 GamesFounder & Lead Designer
Hex Decima in development.
Published: VapoRun (Google Play Store) and Letters from the War (Steam).
01/2023 - 01/2026
FreelancerGame & UX Designer
I worked together with University of Florence, Meditec S.r.l. and Lemons in the Room.
10/2024 - 01/2025
Katabasi StudioUX 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 FlorenceLogic course (Master)
I am attending a Master degree in Logic.
09/2019 - 04/2024
University of FlorencePhilosophy 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 AcademyGame 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 MichelangioloHigh 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 FlorenceB2 English Certificate
First Certificate in English.
Awards
11/2020
CineGame JamBest 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.