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Computer and Video Game Designers


Overview

Introduction

Computer and video game designers, also known as game developers, create the ideas and interactivity for games. These games are played on various platforms, or media, such as video consoles and computers, digital devices (smartphones, tablets, iPads, etc.), and online. Designers generate ideas for new game concepts, including sound effects, characters, story lines, and graphics.

Designers either work for companies that make the games or create the games on their own and sell their ideas and programs to companies that...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$85,270

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Employment Prospects

Excellent

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Minimum Education Level

Bachelor's Degree


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Experience

Internship


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Skills

Computer
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Personality Traits

Artistic
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Earnings

Most development companies spend up to two years designing a game even before any of the mechanics (such as writing final code and drawing final graphics) begin; more complex games take even longer. Companies budget anywhere from $1 to $3 million to hundreds of millions to develop just one game. If the game is a success, designers are often rewarded with bonuses. In addition to bonuses or royal...

Work Environment

Computer and video game designers work in office settings, whether at a large company or a home studio. They often have to work long hours when project deadlines near. Fifty-one percent said that their job involves this type of crunch time (and another 44 percent reported working long hours or extended hours that they did not classify as crunch time), according to the 2017 Developer Satisfactio...

Outlook

Computer and video games are a fast-growing segment of the U.S. entertainment industry. The Entertainment Software Association reports that sales of computer and video game software reached $35.8 billion in 2018—up from $14.8 billion in 2012.  

Employment of multimedia artists and animators in the software industry is projected to grow 19 percent (much faster than the average for all car...