Career Overview
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.
Also Known As
- Design Director
- Designer
- Game Designer
- World Designer
Alternate Job Titles
- Computer Game Designer
- Computer Video Game Designer
- Concept Artist
- Content Creator
- Design Director
- Designer
- Environment Artist
- Environmental Artist
- Game Design Consultant
- Game Designer
- Game Developer
- Game Engineer
- Game Master
- Game Tester
- Gamemaster
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
- Develop and maintain design level documentation, including mechanics, guidelines, and mission outlines.
- Document all aspects of formal game design, using mock-up screenshots, sample menu layouts, gameplay flowcharts, and other graphical devices.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Design
- Computers and Electronics
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Programming
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Fluency of Ideas
- Originality
- Near Vision
- Written Comprehension
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Information Ordering
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Innovation
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Adaptability
- Achievement Orientation
- Dependability
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Achievement
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Recognition
- Support
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Bachelor's Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Atlassian JIRA
- C
- C#
- C++
- Extensible markup language XML
- Git
Tools & Equipment
- Audioconferencing systems
- Computer data input scanners
- Desktop computers
- Laptop computers
- Personal computers
- Smart phones
- Tablet computers
- Video gaming equipment
Work Environment
- Spend Time Sitting
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Web and Digital Interface Designers occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Video Game Designers.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $47,840 |
| Median | $98,090 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $192,180 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 111,400
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Web and Digital Interface Designers
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $98,090
Special Effects Artists and Animators
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $99,800
Graphic Designers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $61,300
Web Developers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $90,930
Computer Programmers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $98,670
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.