The game designer profession is one which is much in demand at the present time, but of course the wages for this profession vary depending upon the area in which you operate.
Programm designers develop many types of software and need to be experienced in the theory of computing systems which will work properly and to the satisfaction of their clients.
Game designers consist of a lead designer who conceive of and design the rules and structure of a game. A game mechanic designer who designs the game play mechanic, and a level designer who creates the game environment and means within the game itself.
The wages a designer can expect to earn in the State of Massachusetts, for instance, can be in the region of $82,500, compared to almost $86,000 in Washington State.
This chart displays annual mean salaries for Game Designers in the U.S. The data was collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics OES - May 2008.
California, Connecticut and New Mexico salaries range from $83,000 through to $84,000 respectively. The salaries in these areas are based on the annual mean wage and will vary slightly.
Obviously the wages you can expect to earn are dependent upon individual skills and experience. As a newly qualified programmer the wages you can expect will be lower than those stated above. The potential for earning more will depend entirely upon the experience eventually gained.
Top paying States for the game design profession listed above will obviously be prepared to pay high salaries for those candidates with a good track record in their particular field of expertise. Experience and qualifications are therefore important when considering working in these fields.
Related Charts for Game Design Salaries:
Game Design Salaries for States with the Highest Employment Levels
Game Design Salary Ranges - Top Paying Industries
The bar graph above shows the highest paying states for game designers. The data is shown in table format below:
| State |
Annual Mean Wage |
|---|
| Washington |
$85,800 |
| New Mexico |
$84,110 |
| Connecticut |
$83,730 |
| California |
$82,820 |
| Massachusetts |
$82,250 |
|
