Video Game Designers

Overview

Video Game Designers has a national median salary of $104,000 per year, with +6% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Design core features of video games. Specify innovative game and role-play mechanics, story lines, and character biographies. Create and maintain design documentation. Guide and collaborate with production staff to produce games as designed.

Work Values

• Independence
• Achievement
• Working Conditions

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Balance and adjust gameplay experiences to ensure the critical and commercial success of the product.
• Devise missions, challenges, or puzzles to be encountered in game play.
• Create core game features, including storylines, role-play mechanics, and character biographies for a new video game or game franchise.
• Solicit, obtain, and integrate feedback from design and technical staff into original game design.
• Conduct regular design reviews throughout the game development process.

Work Activities

• Thinking Creatively
• Working with Computers
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Getting Information
• Processing Information
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Analyzing Data or Information
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Detailed Work Activities

• Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a master's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Master's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a bachelor's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Video Game Designers:

Video Resources