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College | City | State |
---|---|---|
Brigham Young University | Provo | Utah |
Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
DePaul University | Chicago | Illinois |
DigiPen Institute of Technology | Redmond | Washington |
Drexel University | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
Fashion Institute of Technology | New York | New York |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge | Massachusetts |
New York University | New York | New York |
Northeastern University | Boston | Massachusetts |
Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester | New York |
Southern Methodist University | Dallas | Texas |
University of California, Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | California |
University of Central Florida | Orlando | Florida |
University of Southern California | Los Angeles | California |
University of Utah | Salt Lake City | Utah |
Video game designers use a combination of technology, science, engineering, mathematics, design, art, animation, and more to create computer and video games for a variety of gaming consoles. Some of the best-selling video game consoles include PlayStation and PlayStation 2,3, and 4, Nintendo DS, Game Boy/Game Boy Color, Nintendo Wii, and Xbox 360. The video games that designers create rake in billions of dollars in revenue each year.
Video game designers may write code using various computer programming languages, some have project management duties, and others may also test early versions of video games.
In addition to the games industry, video game designers may create interactive games for the mobile technology industry, education, advertising and marketing, web design, and many businesses. However, most video game designers work for gaming companies.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides employment and salary information for software developers. This includes applications and systems developers. Video game designers are most closely related to applications software developers. Information for this group should give aspiring designers an idea of what to expect in the areas of employment growth and earning potential.
Employment of applications developers is projected to grow 31% for the 2016-2026 decade. This is much faster than the average for all occupations. This increase means that the population will increase from an impressive 831,300 to 1,086,600 by 2026, resulting in 255,400 new jobs nationwide. The main reason for the growth for software applications developers is a large increase in the demand for computer software. The need for new applications on smart phones and tablets will help increase the demand for applications software developers.
In the games industry, consumers will continue to demand more realistic video games as studios continue to push the envelope. The result? The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Economists Incorporated report that the game industry is growing four times faster than the U.S. economy and annual job growth increased more than 13 times the rate of the U.S. labor market between 2009-2012 alone.
Places such as Montana (990), Mississippi and Vermont (both 910), Hawaii (720), Alaska (360), Wyoming (290) have some of the lowest employment levels for applications software developers.
Note that the video game industry in the U.S. consists of thousands of companies supporting well over 200,000 jobs. Within the top states for software developers are some of the hottest metro areas for video game designers. They include:
Other Schools to Consider:
Most job websites offer salary information for game designers. However, reported salaries vary greatly by site. PayScale, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter report that video game designers earn between $39.2k-$101k, $51.1k-$102k, and $77k-$400k per year, respectively. However, the BLS reports that the median annual wage for applications software developers is $103,620. The highest paid applications software developers average more than $161,290 annually and the lowest paid average less than $61,660 annually.
Note that individual salaries vary based on geographic location, industry, type and size of company, and many other factors—including whether the designer is salaried or works independently. For example, independent applications software developers are the highest paid professionals in the industry. They average $271,150, reports the BLS. Other top paying industries for this occupation are (in order):
Average salaries in most states are $80,000 or higher, and very few dip below $75,000. Salaries for the top metro areas for developers are:
Most employers prefer to hire video game designers with a bachelor’s degree or higher in areas such as games and interactive entertainment, game design, game development, game design and development, game programming or computer science, software development, software engineering, computer systems, computer animation, or mathematics with an option or focus in games.
In addition to a degree, employers require a minimum of two years’ experience for intermediate positions. For upper level positions, employers typically require an advanced degree, plus three to five years’ professional experience in the industry. For entry-level positions, a degree plus experience through an internship or other support position is acceptable.
Hundreds of schools offer programs for aspiring video game designers. Some of the best include:
Awesome Game Fact: Did you know that games began to appear almost as soon as computers appeared? In the late 1960s, Spacewar! was created, partly as a way of experimenting with one of the earliest computers, the PDP-1, developed by Digital Electronic Corporation. -Gale Cengage Learning, Macmillan Reference