An rising number of overseas students are deciding to pursue lucrative jobs in game design in the United States as a result of their passion for video games. Game design is a broad field with numerous job options. This article identifies a variety of prospective game design occupations as well as their average starting salary.
Game design programs are one of the most popular subjects of study among international students nowadays. The reasons for this decision are varied, but one of the most important factors in the field’s capacity to attract international students is the excellent opportunities for careers in game creation. Aside from being many gamers’ dream job, careers in game creation offer unusually high beginning wages and relaxed work cultures that encourage innovation. Furthermore, game designers will have the opportunity to work in development studios as members of teams formed with a single goal in mind: to produce the next big gaming hit that will be found in homes across the country. This article will assist international students in identifying a variety of game design occupations, their average beginning pay, and a few factors to keep in mind when looking for a game design job.
Examples Of Careers in Game Design
International students will find work as part of a game design team with a development studio after graduation. The creation of a video game is a complicated procedure. Much of the work is extremely specialized, necessitating a team-wide division of labor. As a result, game design positions necessitate a diverse set of skills from computer science, digital art, and creative writing. While lead designer is the role that all game designers aspire to, before being handed control of his or her own project, a game designer must work in a variety of capacities while bringing games created by others to life. The following are some of the career options after completing a game design degree and their national median beginning salaries:
- Lead Designer – $81,000
- Game Programmer – $55,000+
- Game artist – $42,000+
- Game animator – $47,000+
- Game writer – $44,000+
- Software developer – $60,000+
- Game designer – $55,000+
- Software engineer – $70,000+
- Quality assurance – $32,000+
- Lead quality assurance – $40,000+
Game design jobs provide very gratifying work conditions in addition to high starting salaries and a varied variety of talents required. For starters, the number of international students pursuing game design degrees is rapidly expanding, implying that game design schools and development studios are becoming increasingly international. This increased worldwide presence results in more diversified development teams and highly rewarding work experiences with a like-minded group of people who are all motivated by their love of video games. Second, the number of game development studios is steadily increasing, implying that the overall number of game design positions has increased by more than thrice since the late 1990s. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when considering a career in game design major:
- While graduates of game design programs in the United States go on to work as members of development teams for some of the world’s most well-known video game designers, most game design jobs are concentrated in a few locations. In fact, just six states account for over 75% of all game design jobs: California, Texas, Washington, New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
- There are a plethora of game design careers to choose from, each with its own set of advantages. International students studying game design, on the other hand, are unlikely to get hired immediately as game designers. Newcomers to the industry are employed to work on development teams in a variety of capacities linked to video game production. After gaining a particular level of experience and reputation, game designers are given more responsibility until they are eventually granted the funding and crew to produce their own video game title.
For an international student who wishes to work as part of a team to create the next great gaming title, game design programs are a fantastic option.