Becoming a designer puts you in control of the game.
A full 60 percent of game designers have four or fewer years of professional experience, as of January 2011. This is because video game design is an evolving field, open to fresh minds and fresh approaches. This means long experience is not necessarily the key to the biggest paycheck, and you can work your way into well-paying positions relatively quickly if you have motivation and talent.
Getting Started
Game enthusiasts make the best game designers because they understand what makes a game good or bad. Designers often get their start working as game testers and work their way into other fields, such as animation and level design. Others approach the field from a computer programming perspective and use skills learned while programming games designed by others to work their way into game design.
National Wage Averages
Designers with up to one year in the field average $39,262 to $59,233 per year. After that first year, the average salary increases to between $40,985 and $59,633 annually through the designer's fourth year in the business. At five years, average pay increases significantly to between $47,579 and $74,014 per year, and makes another leap at the 10-year experience mark to the $69,493 to $85,534 pay range, according to PayScale data as of January 2011.
Location Matters
The top three states for video game designer earnings are Massachusetts, with an average of $39,493 to $80,261 annually for all levels of designer; California, averaging $45,472 to $72,568 per year; and Washington, which pays designers $41,253 to $56,227 annually. Other states reporting high game designer employment rates include Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois, according to PayScale.
Choose the Right School
Carnegie Mellon University graduates report top earnings in the game design industry, averaging salaries of $53,874 to $83,424. Full Sail University graduates also report excellent wages in game design, ranging from $50,000 to $59,000. University of Southern California graduates also report earnings above the national average starting wage. These schools will not guarantee you a highly paid position upon graduation, but they can prepare you well for a career in game design.
