Monsters! Aliens! Sword fights! Car crashes! Adventure and fantasy are all in a day’s work in the life of a video game designer. It is not all fun and games however; the video game design industry is fast paced which means hard work and pressure. Video game designers are expected to have good problem solving skills and patience since the video game design process can be lengthy and challenging. A combination of computer and artistic abilities are an obvious must for video game designers.

Online Degrees for Video Game Designers

There are many online game design programs available to students pursuing a video game designer career. You can choose from a certificate, associate degree or bachelor’s degree in game design from online colleges as well as community colleges, technical colleges and traditional colleges. Generally, the higher the education, the better your job prospects and earnings potential.

Types of Video Game Design Jobs and Who Hires Them

Creating a video game is a process and often a collaboration of a team of skilled players and some of those jobs include: Video game designers can get jobs as artists, writers, animators, art directors, sound engineers, producers and programmers. Most video game designers work for a small, start-up company, a larger multimedia company or as independent contractors.

Education Requirements for Video Game Designers

For an entry-level position in video game design a certificate, diploma or associate’s degree is required. For positions with greater responsibility and higher pay, a bachelor’s degree in video game design is required.

Job Outlook for Video Game Designers

Video games are extremely popular and their popularity only grows which means the job outlook for video game design is promising. As technology advances (and it does, fast!) the types of jobs will change too, which means greater competition and a need for video game designers to be up to date with the current technology.

Video Game Designer Salary Information

The most recent median annual earnings reports date back to no earlier than 1999 and they are:

• Game designer: $35,000 - $75,000
• Artist: $34,360 (art directors earned up to $100,000)
• Sound designer: $45,000 - $70,000
• Programmers: $60,000 - $80,000

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