Video game designers can earn a pretty good salary – especially if they’re part of the design team that creates a hit game.
However, the salary for video game designers varies greatly depending on which aspect of the video game industry you work in.
Writers, artists, programmers and marketing experts all get paid different amounts depending on where they work, what they do, and their past experience.
For that reason alone, it’s very hard to say exactly how much you can make as a video game designer, but know that you’ll easily bring in $40,000/year and may make as much as $75,000/year or more a year.
Range of Salary for a Computer Game Designer
In years past, it was very easy to become a big-name game designer, since most games were created by one person or a very small team. One example of this is Sid Meier, who is known for his Civilizations game series. He released the first Civilization game in 1982, doing nearly all the programming and designing, and much of the artwork himself.
Today, though, as video games have become so much more complex, it's harder to become a big name in the video game industry without doing a lot of work.
The good news, however, is that even if you don’t become a superstar in the video game design industry, there are still plenty of perks. One of these is travel. Many developers have booths at events like E3, a huge electronics convention held every year. If you’re asked to be part of a panel or even simply staff your company’s booth, you’ll probably get a free trip out of the deal.
Another nice perk, especially if you love video games – and if you’re thinking about this career, you most likely do – is that you’ll get a sneak peek at new games before they come out. Sometimes this only includes games your company is developing, but you might also get a peek at or hear about the new games other companies are working on. It’s a great way of staying abreast of what new video games are coming out and which ones you might want to play.
Besides these perks, the video game industry is very success-oriented. What this means is that if you work hard, you’ll be rewarded. This is especially true if you help to create a game that winds up being a huge success. You don’t even have to be the lead designer to get rewarded. Creating a popular character, for example, will get you noticed, even if the game they appear in isn’t that great. Writing great dialogue, drawing beautiful backgrounds, or writing catchy music can get you ahead in the video game world even if the final game itself doesn’t do as well as the company would like.
The video game industry is still growing, so even new game designers have a chance at getting a great job that pays well. The industry also offers some nice perks and rewards those who work hard. Even if you don’t start out with the salary you want, after working on a few games and showing everyone what you can do, you’ll find yourself amply rewarded.
The International Academy of Design & Technology offers online degrees in video game design. Choose from an associate's or bachelor's program in game design and help transform your design talent into the skills employers want. Learn more about IADT | Request free info
