JobAfterNext

Video Game Designers

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.

Wages

BLS doesn't publish wages for Video Game Designers separately. These are the figures for Web and Digital Interface Designers (15-1255), its parent occupation.

Median annual wage, U.S.$104,000
Employment, U.S.113,330
Median hourly wage$50.00
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$53,750$73,290$104,000$158,820$201,550
By state (48)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama130$51,8600.09
Alaska30$71,3000.15
Arizona810$98,0700.35
California27,090$136,1102.04
Colorado3,250$95,8801.55
Connecticut1,060$94,6600.86
Delaware130$93,8800.36
District of Columbia480$107,6500.94
Florida4,620$77,7300.64
Georgia2,800$103,8100.79
Hawaii50Not available0.11
Idaho340$64,2500.55
Illinois2,050$85,7100.46
Indiana1,160$63,4300.50
Iowa670$69,0600.59
Kansas200$70,6200.19
Kentucky590$77,0000.40
Louisiana170$68,7900.12
Maine380Not available0.80
Maryland1,310$96,7600.65
Massachusetts2,740$113,5401.03
Michigan1,750$81,0100.54
Minnesota1,520$82,6500.71
Mississippi230$48,5500.28
Missouri1,210$70,9700.57
Montana100$77,0300.28
Nebraska720$65,5200.96
Nevada1,180$80,1201.05
New Hampshire430$111,1500.86
New Jersey2,170$95,3100.69
New Mexico200$53,3000.32
New York16,560$120,9902.35
North Carolina3,400$97,9900.94
North Dakota40$64,2600.12
Ohio2,520$83,3600.62
Oklahoma340$76,4400.28
Oregon1,230$102,2200.86
Pennsylvania2,820$104,1600.64
Rhode Island240$105,9900.66
South Carolina800$80,9300.48
Tennessee3,610$63,5101.51
Texas5,910$102,6500.58
Utah1,060$99,9900.84
Virginia1,990$77,1400.67
Washington11,580$130,4804.47
West Virginia200$71,8800.40
Wisconsin880$95,3400.41
Wyoming110$67,0200.53

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Web Developers30.959
2Database Architects40.948
3Computer and Information Research Scientists50.945
4Data Warehousing Specialists40.938
5Desktop Publishers30.937
6Web Administrators40.937
7Art Directors40.936
8Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers40.933
9Health Informatics Specialists50.933
10Computer Programmers40.932

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Video Game Designers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Web DevelopersOperations Analysis1.000.959
Web AdministratorsQuality Control Analysis1.500.937
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and TestersQuality Control Analysis1.740.933
Business Intelligence AnalystsMathematics0.760.923
Information Security AnalystsQuality Control Analysis1.240.916
Computer Hardware EngineersOperations Analysis1.000.914
Computer Network ArchitectsQuality Control Analysis1.740.911
Clinical Data ManagersMathematics0.760.909
Penetration TestersQuality Control Analysis1.500.906
Commercial and Industrial DesignersOperations Analysis0.880.905

All 11

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Video Game Designers, excluding software Video Game Designers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
AJAX13 of 2024.0x
jQuery13 of 2022.2x
Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML13 of 2021.4x
Cascading style sheets CSS13 of 2017.1x
Drupal13 of 2015.4x
Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML12 of 2017.9x
PostgreSQL12 of 2017.9x
Adobe Dreamweaver14 of 2011.0x
Apache Solr11 of 2019.5x
MongoDB11 of 2018.8x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
ProgrammingTransferable skill 4.00 3.88
Active ListeningEssential skill 3.88 3.88
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 3.75 4.00
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 3.75 3.88
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 3.62 3.88
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.62 3.62
Active LearningEssential skill 3.50 3.62
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.38 3.50
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.38 3.25
WritingEssential skill 3.25 3.88
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.25 3.62
SpeakingEssential skill 3.12 3.88
MonitoringEssential skill 3.12 3.62
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.12 3.50
PersuasionTransferable skill 3.00 3.12
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.00 3.12
NegotiationTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Technology DesignTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
InstructingTransferable skill 2.88 3.25
MathematicsEssential skill 2.88 3.12
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 2.88 3.00
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 2.75 3.00
Service OrientationTransferable skill 2.75 2.75
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 2.25 2.50
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 2.00 1.88
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 1.88 1.50
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 1.88 1.38
ScienceEssential skill 1.38 0.50
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 1.12not rated
InstallationTransferable skill 1.12not rated
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 1.12not rated
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 1.00not rated
RepairingTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Design 4.26 5.25
Computers and Electronics 4.15 5.15
Communications and Media 3.47 4.35
Mathematics 3.30 4.80
Psychology 3.30 3.85
English Language 3.25 3.95
Engineering and Technology 2.80 2.95
Sociology and Anthropology 2.79 3.80
Education and Training 2.65 3.05
Fine Arts 2.65 3.05
Administration and Management 2.55 3.25
Administrative 2.35 3.00
Physics 2.10 2.25
Sales and Marketing 2.05 2.10
Telecommunications 2.05 1.65
History and Archeology 2.00 1.90
Customer and Personal Service 1.90 1.65
Economics and Accounting 1.90 1.45
Philosophy and Theology 1.83 2.00
Personnel and Human Resources 1.75 1.40
Production and Processing 1.65 1.35
Law and Government 1.65 1.25
Geography 1.60 1.65
Foreign Language 1.40not rated
Public Safety and Security 1.30not rated
Biology 1.25not rated
Mechanical 1.25not rated
Transportation 1.25not rated
Building and Construction 1.20not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.20not rated
Medicine and Dentistry 1.05not rated
Chemistry 1.00not rated
Food Production 1.00not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Fluency of Ideas 4.12 4.12
Originality 4.00 4.12
Near Vision 4.00 4.00
Written Comprehension 4.00 3.88
Oral Comprehension 3.88 4.00
Information Ordering 3.88 3.88
Written Expression 3.88 3.88
Inductive Reasoning 3.75 4.00
Oral Expression 3.75 4.00
Deductive Reasoning 3.75 3.88
Problem Sensitivity 3.75 3.88
Selective Attention 3.38 3.75
Visualization 3.25 3.75
Speech Recognition 3.25 3.25
Speech Clarity 3.12 3.12
Category Flexibility 3.00 3.38
Flexibility of Closure 3.00 3.12
Perceptual Speed 3.00 2.88
Visual Color Discrimination 2.88 3.12
Far Vision 2.88 3.00
Mathematical Reasoning 2.88 3.00
Number Facility 2.88 3.00
Speed of Closure 2.75 2.88
Memorization 2.62 2.75
Time Sharing 2.62 2.62
Finger Dexterity 2.62 2.38
Arm-Hand Steadiness 2.12 2.12
Hearing Sensitivity 2.12 2.12
Control Precision 2.00 2.12
Manual Dexterity 2.00 2.00
Auditory Attention 2.00 1.12
Trunk Strength 1.62 0.88
Depth Perception 1.62 0.62
Wrist-Finger Speed 1.50 0.62
Dynamic Strength 1.12not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Explosive Strength 1.00not rated
Extent Flexibility 1.00not rated
Glare Sensitivity 1.00not rated
Gross Body Coordination 1.00not rated
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.00not rated
Multilimb Coordination 1.00not rated
Night Vision 1.00not rated
Peripheral Vision 1.00not rated
Rate Control 1.00not rated
Reaction Time 1.00not rated
Response Orientation 1.00not rated
Sound Localization 1.00not rated
Spatial Orientation 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated
Stamina 1.00not rated
Static Strength 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 57
  • Perl hot
  • Structured query language SQL hot
  • TypeScript hot
  • 3D graphic design software
  • Adobe ActionScript
  • Advanced business application programming ABAP
  • Autodesk 3ds Max
  • Autodesk Scaleform
  • Balsamiq Studios Balsamiq Mockups
  • Blackboard software
  • C for Graphics cg
  • Graphical user interface GUI design software
  • Job control language JCL
  • Lua
  • Microsoft DirectX
  • Microsoft Expression Blend
  • Microsoft High Level Shader Language HLSL
  • Objective C
  • OpenGL
  • Perforce Helix software
  • Perforce software
  • Ruby on Rails
  • Scheme
  • Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL
  • Sound development software
  • Virtual Battlespace 2 VBS2
  • Vulkan Graphics API

Where it concentrates

BLS doesn't publish wages for Video Game Designers separately. These are the figures for Web and Digital Interface Designers (15-1255), its parent occupation.

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA10,3306.80$133,760
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA4,4005.32$201,260
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA6,6303.83$163,810
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN2,5003.12$63,510
Boulder, CO3602.54$139,900
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA2102.24$95,070
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ14,9902.17$119,190
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC5102.05$133,340
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA9,2202.02$106,550
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO2,1201.81$98,330

More metros, other thresholds