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No matter what job you have or how much you’re getting paid, one thing is certain: Your paycheck would be bigger if you got promoted.

But how do you get promoted? Why are some people promoted while others are passed by — even when they work as hard as everyone else? Does it really have anything to do with how hard you work (performance), or is it more about who you know (politics)?

To answer these questions and more, I spoke with promotions expert B.J. Schone. As a veteran in human resources and career development, Schone has spent two decades helping people grow their careers, and is the author of The Essential Guide to Getting Promoted at Work.

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This article is part of the Video Game Developer Salary series. See the annual pay for all video game jobs here.

A video game community at PAX East
Big games draw big crowds. Who’s job is it to keep them happy?

Table of Contents

  1. Community Manager salary: Overview
  2. Community Manager salary: Factors
  3. Search for Community Manager jobs
  4. Community Manager salary: Details
  5. Demand for Community Managers
  6. Should I become a Community Manager?

If you want to get into the video game industry, you might be considering “traditional” game dev jobs like programmer, artist, or game designer. Those are some of the job roles that make the games, but as games have grown into massive experiences with millions of players, a new job role has emerged to guide and amplify masses of players after the game launches. That’s the job of the video game community manager.

Some community managers focus on social media, while others are experts in moderating and growing massive hordes of passionate players and other fans.

How much do video game community managers make? And how much could you earn as a community manager?

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Mihai, who asks, “Is it better to be a freelancer or an employee in the game industry? I’ve read some articles about this but they didn’t offer me enough information to actually make a definitive decision.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The difference between an employee and a freelancer
  • The pros and cons of being a freelancer, and how it affects your financial stability
  • The best way to successfully start a career as a freelancer

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from John Paul who asks, “I was wondering a few things. 1: Do you get paid more for being at a company, say 10 years versus 2 or 3? And 2: If you work for a bigger company are you more likely to make more? 3: How many years of schooling do you have to go to for most companies to hire you?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why salary is an important consideration when selecting a career
  • The 4 major factors that determine how much you’ll make in your game job
  • How project bonuses actually work, and why they’re not quite what they seem

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Mark O., who asks, “I’m wondering, in game development, which is the highest paying job, and how much experience would I need? And what would I have to study in college to get on my way to this job?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Which video game jobs have the highest annual salaries
  • Which game jobs require a college education, and which ones are more flexible
  • Why one of the game jobs is the easiest way to start out

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Julie, who wants to know whether she should relocate to a different city to look for higher-paying game jobs?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why some cities seem to pay much more than others, but why it may be an illusion.
  • How to evaluate the cost of living differences between two cities
  • The best cities in the world to find video game jobs

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By Posted in Careers 2 Comments

This article is part of the Video Game Developer Salary series. See the annual pay for all video game jobs here.

Game sound designer works a mixing board
When it comes to game audio, the toughest part might be landing the gig.

Table of Contents

  1. Game Audio salary: Overview
  2. Game Audio salary: Factors
  3. Search for Game Audio jobs
  4. Game Audio salary: Details
  5. Other factors that affect Audio salary
  6. Demand for Game Audio
  7. Should I become a Game Audio Engineer?

Of all the jobs in the video game industry, the audio engineer might be the most rare – there are significantly fewer audio jobs, compared to most any other role. Why? Partly because it’s common to have a single audio engineer to handle all the game projects for a studio. In fact, many studios don’t employ full-time audio staff at all – they contract their audio work to external freelancers.

But even freelance audio engineers can be paid very well compared to other game jobs. How much do video game audio engineers make? And how much could you make as an audio engineer?
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How much are Game Developers paid? There are many jobs on a video game development team, and “game developer” can refer to any of them: programmers, artists, designers, audio engineers, and more. Game developers are paid well above national average income levels, but some are paid more than others. It depends on job title, years of experience, region, and other job-specific factors discussed below.

The following graphs show average game developer pay, and each section includes links to learn more. The data is pulled from several authoritative sources (see endnote for references), and is updated every 6 months.
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By Posted in Careers 54 Comments

This article is part of the Video Game Developer Salary series. See the annual pay for all video game jobs here.

young video game artist
Does video game art pay better than finger painting? Or is it just slightly less messy?

Table of Contents

  1. Game Artist salary: Overview
  2. Game Artist salary: Factors
  3. Game Artist salary: Details
  4. Other factors that affect Artist salary
  5. Demand for Game Artists
  6. Should I become a Game Artist?

When I started playing video games way back in the 1970’s, the “art” was pretty terrible. A game’s screen could only show a few colors at a time. Often, the “character” you were playing was little more than a colored square. Games were so simple that it was common for a single developer to do everything by herself – all the design, all the coding, and all the art.

Over the years, that changed. Gaming systems grew more powerful, exploding from two dimensions into three-dimensions in full color. At the same time, the video game artist’s job became too much for one person to handle. Now, the job that was once done by a single artist has split into many different art specialties. Each one has its own tools and techniques that take a lifetime to master. But when it comes to the paycheck, not all art jobs are created equal.

How much do video game artists make? And how much could you make as a game artist?Read more »

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By Posted in Careers 224 Comments

This article is part of the Video Game Developer Salary series. See the annual pay for all video game jobs here.

Video Game Programmer Stereotype
Don’t worry, you don’t need a bow-tie to write kicka** code.

Contents:

  1. Game Programmer salary: Overview
  2. Game Programmer salary: Factors
  3. Search for Game Programming jobs
  4. Game Programmer salary: Details
  5. Other factors that affect Programmer salary
  6. Demand for Game Programmers
  7. Should I become a Game Programmer?

When young people dream of making video games, they usually think of becoming a game designer. Learning how to be a video game programmer isn’t usually on their radar, because most people don’t really understand what a game developer does. In fact, game programming can seem like a black art that’s too technical (and nerdy?) for the average person to understand.

But the truth is that anyone can learn to be a game programmer. And there’s something else you might not know about game programming: Video game programmers have, on average, the highest salaries of any development job in the game industry.

Now do I have your attention…?

How much do video game programmers make? And how much could you make as a game programmer?

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