Video Game Designer Salary Information

Of all the jobs out there at present, one of the very best fields that one can enter is the computer field. There are many different jobs to choose from within the computer industry. If you are the type of person who loves video games and wants to work to make them even better than a job as a video game designer may be the perfect fit for you.

As a video game designer you will be one of the first people that will design levels of games as well as the characters. You will create animations and story boards for your characters and plan out each different outcome of the story depending on what the player chooses to do. You will also need to edit and tweak the story as needed. You will meet with clients to discuss their needs and make sure that they are involved in every step along the way. 

You may need to change things as needed. You will need to meet with your client several times to get what they really want you to do and also to show the progress that you are making on their project. You will need to have good art and design skills along with understanding several types of programming languages and computer programs. You will also need to do extensive testing and changes as needed.

Video Game Designer Salary

As a video game designer you will be able to make a great take home salary. The current national average for a video game designer salary is around $68,000 per year. The video game designer income will depend greatly on the type of education and experience that you have. It can also depend on the type of job that you work at. The aerospace industry offers a higher than normal video game designer salary of $69,000 per year. 

Independent artists and writers offer a video game designer salary of $73,000 per year. The video game design wage working with sporting goods stores makes $77,000 per year. The best video game designer wage can be obtained from working in the motion picture industry. In this industry you can expect a salary of $83,000 per year.

Video Game Designer Education

If you have decided to become a video game designer, you will need to attend a college that offers a program that meets your needs. There are several colleges out there to choose from that offer associate and bachelor’s degrees. These programs will take from two to four years depending on the one that you select. You will be in a hands on learning environment and you will take courses that will teach you object oriented programming such as java, 3D modeling, animation and more. 

You will also be taught how to use different types of sound tools, computer programs, programming languages and graphics programs. The education will depend heavily on projects and in class hands on learning. These courses can be taken in a traditional school environment or in an online school environment. There are even some graduate programs in game design that are offered at some of the larger universities.

Video Game Designer Work Environment

The work environment of a video game designer will be similar to most computer careers. However, it can depend on if you are working in a team environment or if you are working on a project alone. Many designers will work in a large group with other designers that are assigned to the same project. You may have to attend project meetings and also give your input on the completion level of the project. The hours that you keep may depend on what the deadline is set at and how far into the project that you currently are. 

Hours are typically a full forty hours per week but can be extended overnight and on weekends when trying to rush against a deadline. Since you will be working with lots of other people on the same project you will need to have good communication skills and be able to work well with other people in a team environment. You may also have to present pieces of your project to your superiors and to the client so you will need good organization skills.

There are so many different reasons that you may want to become a video game designer. It is a career in which you can express yourself creatively while working on projects that you love. It also offers a great video game designer income. This means that you will not have to live paycheck to paycheck. It also offers a great choice if you love computer games and if you love to work on the computer. It is a chance to let all of your ideas flow. Creativity is a major aspect of this career so make sure that you are the creative type before taking this on.