Young tech enthusiasts often see a career as a game designer as their dream job, and it certainly can be! But is this ok for you?

Despite what many people think, designing video games and computer games is not all fun and games. Most of it is very hard work with the three main parts of the process consisting of art, plot/plot, and programming. Game designers must become experts in one aspect of the process, but rarely in more than one due to the complexity and expertise required.

Video game designers work on games for consoles, computers, and handheld devices. They also work on games and virtual reality programs. A video game designer is undoubtedly a very rewarding career that offers many opportunities. Video games are a multi-billion dollar industry and the thirst for new games is increasing every year as home entertainment becomes a bigger industry than ever.

You may be wondering, what qualities and skills are needed for a career as a game designer?

The answer to this question will depend on what aspect of the design process you want to get involved with. For example:

– Concept art: They are the people who draw the initial designs of characters and settings. You will need a highly creative artistic streak and a talent for drawing and/or computer graphics.

– 3D/Graphic Design: These people take the sketches and create them on the computer in 3D using complex programs. You will need excellent graphic design skills and computer software.

– Story creators: These people create the entire plot of the game. You will need to be a good writer and a creative storyteller with a great imagination.

– Programmer: Programmers put the game together by coding the entire back-end of the app. This is complex work that is usually done in languages ​​like C, C++, and other object-oriented programming languages.

– Project Manager: After you’ve gained experience in one or more fields of game design, you may consider managing an entire project, which involves making sure deadlines are met and team members are on track.

As you can imagine, game designers generally play a lot of games. They keep up with new games and keep track of what interests consumers. That’s the fun part of game design: you have to play a lot of games to get new ideas. The game creation process is difficult and complex; however, it’s exciting to create something from scratch and see sales grow as people buy your game.

Average Game Designer Salary

The average salary for a game designer varies depending on the specific field of work. There are many different departments in game design corporations. Some of the most popular positions are:

– Artists

– Entertainers

-Main artists

– Game designers

– Lead Designers

– Programmers

– Main programmers

-Technical Directors

– Audio designers

– Music composers

– Video game testers

– Lead game testers

The video game industry is particularly vulnerable to industry ups and downs, but it is currently making a comeback, with video game sales on the rise thanks to the popularity of consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as handheld devices like the PS3. .

Average salary depends on experience and position. Video game testers, while considered to have the most enjoyable job (although this is often not the case!), may earn less. In fact, the average video game tester salary starts at just $25,000, though it can go as high as $40,000. The main game tester can earn between $40,000 and $60,000.

The highest paid people in game design, other than CEOs, are lead programmers and technical directors. Lead programmers can ask for anywhere from $75,000 up to $100,000. Several years of experience in a regular game programming environment are needed to assume the leadership position. Technical directors have a lot of responsibility and earn between $90,000 and $120,000 per year.

The people who do most of the work are artists and animators (average salary is $40,000 to $70,000), game designers ($40,000 to $70,000), programmers ($50,000 to $90,000), and developers. audio/musicians ($65,000 to $90,000). Leadership positions in these fields demand an additional $20,000 or more over regular salary.

After an employee has 5+ years of experience in the game design industry, they are likely to earn close to $100,000 per year, especially if their skills have been growing and they are working for a leading game development company. Some of the most sought after video game developers to work for include:

-Electronic Arts

-Sony

– Blizzards

– Activision

-Atari

-Funcom

-Hasbro interactive

– Identification software

– Infograms

-Konami

-Lionhead Studios

– Microsoft Game Studios

-Nintendo

-Rock star games

As you can see, it costs a lot of money to employ an entire team to make a game. The return on investment in today’s market is excellent, which means that game creators will continue to hire game designers and pay them very well.