So what kind of money will you make?

The answer is: it depends.  The thing is, like any where else two things matter.  What kind of experience you have, and where you are working.  If you are a rookie then you will not have much room to negotiate your salary.  As a starting game designer you will make $50,000 to $60,000 per year.  That is pretty good considering most careers don’t start your salary out anywhere near there.  The thing is- you must negotiate!

Your ability to negotiate will come into play with any career you take.  That can be the difference between an extra $5,000 or more per year.  Do not just take the first number you hear.  You must try to push for a better number, more benefits, more days off, etc.  Like anything in life you will not get it unless you ask for it.

Now what do the upper crust of game designers make?  Around $80,000 to well over $100,000 per year.  Those are the top dogs with a lot of experience, and a working in the top studios.

There are also other factors that come into play other than your ability to negotiate and your skills.  The other being gender.  On average across all fields women make less money than men.  Many business thought leaders attribute that to women’s non-confrontational matter in salary negotiations.  So ladies- negotiate!  Make sure you get paid!

All in all, game designers make $50,00 to $150,000 per year.  That is a great jump but it also shows great room for growth in this exciting, exciting field.

Gaming is now an event that is primarily done from within one’s own home. People might even say it is an anti social activity.
With the evolution from Genesis, to Playstation, to Xbox 360 and whatever else is coming out soon gaming has placed gamers more and more in their homes. What does that mean for the industry? There is a new challenge. No longer can games get by on game play alone. Games like Virtua Cop that only required point and shoot technology. Games like Street Fighter that only require button mashing. Now gaming requires games to be super robust as the gamers have time to be fully immersed in their environments. Games need to have the best graphics. Games have to have up-to-the-minute online game play with zero lag, games have to use the newest ragdoll physics. There are just too many nuisances to go into great detail but I think you are beginning to get the picture we are trying to paint here.

So what does this mean for the industry and the current state of video game jobs?

For one, games now require staff and payrolls that rival Hollywood blockbusters. Not only do you have to have the technical team to put the actual game together, but many companies send designers and location scouts out to photograph buildings and structures to recreate in the gaming world. You didn’t think that the guys that created Grand Theft Auto and the Call of Duty series just thought of those grand locations from the top of their heads did you? Nope! Grand Theft Auto 4 is modeled after New York City, and designers recreated the game world from real life visuals of the City. The designers behind the Call of Duty series rely on robust amounts of research to recreate the World Wars.

So what jobs in video games can you expect to find out there in your job search?

There are the traditional:

• Project Manager
• Graphic Designer
• Lead Animator/Supporting Animators
• Game Designers
• Audio Engineer
• C+++ Programmer (aka Computer Programmer)
• Storyboard Creator
• Script Writer
• Voice Actor

And the list goes on and on and on. But there are also a plethora of NEW jobs available. First are public relations managers. Every company has one. These are the people who get out there and make sure blogs like IGN and Gamespot cover their development. They also prowl forums and Youtube to see what the buzz is around the project.
Another job is game tester. You may have heard of this. These guys play games for hours on end to see if there are any bugs in the code. It sounds lucrative, but it is a very tough entry level position. If you get frustrated easily it is probably not for you.

A final job that is probably new to you is creative engineer. I know that you are probably asking “what is that?!” Well this is basically a position that companies create to spur creative development at their firms. These people are paid to literally think of crazy ideas, make small demos of them, then get feedback from users via in-store demos, online betas, or via game testers. These guys are constantly pushing the envelope on the traditional game genres by adding or subtracting traditional elements or making the game more extreme in one or more ways.

As you see, there are many different video game jobs you can get involved with, traditional and nontraditional. I hope this post inspires you to get out there and see what is available. Don’t be afraid to submit resumes and cold call to see what is available to you. You never know until you try!

First of all, congrats for pursing your passion.  A lot of people keep their dreams bottled up.   Don’t be one of those people.  If you have a desire to get into gaming, then you probably should.  A lot of people glorify the industry.  That is because you literally get to play games as your day job!  It can’t get cooler than that!

There are many different jobs you can train for in a video game school such as sound composer, technical game designer, associate engineer, technical artist, and associate producer.  Each job requires specialized training to a certain degree.  Designers learn a lot of design in school but they are naturally creative.  Some people will get to do different unique things, such as sound designers who literally get to break stuff and blow things up just to record it and put the sound in a game! That’s crazy!

Engineers are the more technical types of people and work with graphics and building the actual game.  These people are more math and logic based.  They also tend to work closely with all other members of a game development studio.  The engineers also deal with all the math and coding behind the games.  Technical artists solve problems for the programmers and designers.  Their job is one that is always changing on an almost daily basis.  If you like change, you should train for that career path.

Your producer is more business minded and keeps his mind on the money, and his money on his mind.  He is behind making sure everything remains on budget, on schedule, and on time.  He makes sure that a finished product goes out on time and out to the retailers so it can be sold.  He sees over all the dollars and cents of a game development studio.

Still want to get in the gaming industry?  Start off small and work your way up.  So in the end, should you go to video game school?  I would say that it is always a valuable experience to be around like minded people.  Plus you gain a foot into the industry.  That is always helpful no matter what!

What is a Video Game Designer‘s Salary?

The lower end of the design spectrum includes level designers.  They are expected to come in making around $60,000.  A mid-level designer will make around $67,000 with the upper end being around $70,000.  A senior game designer who has moved up to the title of  creative director can expect to pull in between $125,000 to $150,000 per year.  Of course, this is before bonuses.

Current State Of the Video Game Industry

Currently 94% of designers are males.  That is a problem because gaming is no longer a hobby of just young men. Female designers are needed badly in the industry right now.  Gaming is expanding into mass market, with more game appealing to a multi-cultural audience.

As gaming continues to evolve into a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-national industry salaries will increase as jobs become more and more specialized.  American game designers now have to compete with designers from nations such as Thailand, the Philippines, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia.  As always, the top designers from the world’s crop of talent will always be able to demand a premium salary.

In every industry there is a point where globalization and specialization comes into play.  Gaming is at that point.  It is becoming more important now than ever for gamers to get as many great projects as possible under their belts.

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Jobs in the Video Game Industry

1. Game Designer

Your job would be to come up with the actual concept for the game.  This is everything from the type of game it is, the world the game takes place in, the characters, their goals, and the underlying storyline.

The designer works closely with the rest of the team to make sure the final concept is in line with the creative vision of the designer.  Many of times the designer will write a manual that will serve as the blueprint of the game.  The development manual, as it’s called, will consist of sketches, character backstory, cut scenes, and even some scripts for the voice actors.  Of course nothing is set in stone as a game is a fluid project.

The designer is the first in a long line of people that have to come together in order for a game to be possible.  Let’s continue on.

2. The Game Programmer

These are the guys that are behind the nuts and the bolts of a project.  They usually do most of the heavy lifting after the designers are done.  Game programmers work closely with animators and designers to bring the game to life.  Many programmers are actually skilled animators as well.

Game programmers must be proficient in a programming language in order to make the games.  The most common being C++.  Game programmers usually go to college and obtain a degree in computer programming.

3. Animators

Animators make the game come alive.  They create the graphics you see in the games, and map them to the animations which make the characters move in the game.  Animators are skilled in a lot of areas including design and a little programming.

Most animators go to school and get a degree in animation, graphic design, computer programming, or they are self taught.  It is important for an animator to have a whole lot of different computer skills to be able to choose from.

4. Writer

The writer, while can be easily confused with the designer, does not do the same job as the designer.  The writer’s job is to actually write the story of the game out in it’s entirety.  Often times they work with the designer closely in this regard.

Where they different from the designer is that the write also writes the complete script for the game, including all speaking parts which must be recorded by actors, and all cutscenes that animators must create.  It is also the writer’s job to rewrite the script if the game is adapted from another source of media like a game based on a TV show or popular movie.

Many writers are simply screen writers, fictional writers, or television writers.  Writers are commonly self taught and let their work speak for their brilliance.  Some may opt to go to a University and get an advanced degree in creative writing, television writing, or screenwriting although it is not necessary.

5. Sound Technician/Audio Engineer

The sound technician is the person who chooses all the cool sound effects for the game.  The sound technician is also responsible for coming up with an audio score for the game, especially for games that are story based with longer cutscenes.  The sound tech also may cast actors and work with them to create voice overs for the game.

Game sound technicians are essentially the same people who do sounds for movies and television.  No specialized skills are generally needed to crossover into doing sound effects for games.

6. Game Tester

The game tester is the final piece in the cog before the game is considered a complete work.  Game testers do just as their names suggest… they test the game.  And by test, that doesn’t mean to play for fun either.  Game testers are required to play games for hours on end looking for bugs and glitches.

Game testers are supposed to report any glitches they encounter back to the programmers so that they are corrected in time for the game’s final release.  While game testers aren’t involved in the hands-on making of a game, they are sometimes the difference between a good and a bad game.  If a game goes to shelves full of glitches and bugs, sales and ratings will be effected in the long run.

So Which Video Game Job is For You?

This all depends on what type of personality you have.  If you are a creative type that isn’t interested in learning the nuts and blots behind how things work, you should lean towards being a designer or a writer.  You can be self taught, but you probably should think about going to school just for the sake of making connections in the industry.

If you love programming, debugging, and “making stuff work”, then programming is definitely down your alley.  You could also dip into animation if you feel your creative side in a pinch as a programmers.  Programmers are required to know a language, so if you are already comfortable with one then you are definitely cut out for programming.  Even if you know a language you can also go to school to make those valuable contacts you’ll need in the industry.

If you love games, but want a skill that will translate across industries then you should consider being a sound technician.  Sound technicians don’t just have to do games, remember films, television, and recording artists all need sound technicians as well!

Finally, if you are the type that just wants to get paid to play games, then game testing is probably what you’ll want to look at.  A lot of people enter the industry as testers and work their ways up.

Just remember that whatever path you decide to take in this industry, make sure you take a good look at the skills you already have and you’ll make your professional life that much easier!