Video game programmers have a wide range of responsibilities, and their skills are vital to the production of any video game. Programmers work with artists and designers to create games that are intuitive and fun for players to play. The salary for a programmer varies depending on the experience level, location, industry and company size.
Video game programmer jobs are among the most sought after in the technology sector. Video game programmers write code that enables computers to create a game experience for you to enjoy. These computer programmers create video games that take players from simple, blocky graphics to life-like avatars and environments that look like they have come out of a Hollywood movie set.
Video Game Programmers design, create and debug software programs for video games. A Video Game Programmer is responsible for writing code to implement the ideas presented by game designers, then testing that code to ensure that it performs properly. They must also test other people’s code, perform research into new technologies and work with technical artists to create new environments or recreate existing ones in a different way.
Salary For Video Game Programmer Overview
Are you interested in becoming a video game programmer?
Video game programmers are the brains behind the games you know and love. They’re responsible for everything from creating the code to making sure it runs smoothly, ensuring that your favorite character doesn’t glitch out or disappear into thin air. While they might not get as much attention as their counterparts in other fields, video game programmers are incredibly vital to the process of creating new games that we can all enjoy.
While there are many different types of video game programmers out there, most fall under one of two categories: junior or senior level. The difference between these two roles is pretty simple: one just needs a little more experience under their belt than the other. Junior level programmers usually work on smaller projects and are often paired up with an experienced programmer who can help guide them through any hiccups along the way. Senior-level programmers tend to work on larger projects where they will be responsible for more than just coding; they may also need to manage a team of people working together on a single project or even oversee multiple teams working on different aspects of a single game or app!
What do game programmers do?
Game programmers use software to code games for various platforms, including computers, consoles and mobile devices. Working in video game programming is a career that can have various duties depending on the type of game you create and where you work. Common responsibilities for a game programmer can include:
- Brainstorming game elements
- Converting a project brief into code
- Building gaming engines to create games
- Coding functions for in-game play
- Creating artificial intelligence systems for a game
- Coding the sound-scaping and visual reaction triggers for a game
- Implementing input systems for a variety of mechanisms including using a mouse, keyboard and controller
- Creating methods of connecting to the internet, both for online play and to access online content
- Writing systems for netcode that allow the game to predict inputs and adjust when players do not provide the expected inputs
- Altering code for a game to port it from one gaming console or computer system to play on different platforms
- Debugging code during production to identify and repair errors that affect the way a game plays
- Creating patches after a game has launched to fix errors discovered by players, adjust balance in gameplay or add features
- Developing and coding downloadable content that adds to the original release
What are the working hours for a game programmer?
Salaried video game programmers usually work full-time on projects, with normal business hours common when working on a project. It is also common in the video game industry for developers to expand working hours for a project when a game is nearing its release date to ensure meeting the release date or to fix problems before the game’s release. Expanded hours may include working longer days or working on weekends, and can mean occasional longer workweeks.
When companies implement expanded working hours on a project, it may provide employees with additional compensation. Enhanced compensation options may include providing overtime pay or profit-sharing opportunities following the game’s release.
Game Programmer Salary: Factors
Like most jobs, game engineer salaries are based on years of programming experience, areas of expertise, and whether there’s a “lead” or a “senior” in the job title. The more experience you have, the more you’ll likely be paid.
But there’s another factor to consider. And that’s whether a given programmer’s skill set is currently considered a “premium” skill. For example, graphics programmers were in high demand ten years ago, so they were paid a lot more than other programmers.
These days, server programmers are in demand. That’s why coders who can program game servers are paid more than their colleagues. If you’re thinking about starting a career in game programming, it’s worth paying attention to these premium trends.
One way to break down the numbers is to look at experience. Here are the average salaries for game programmers with various years of experience.
| Under 3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6+ Years |
|---|---|---|
| Game Programmer/Engineer | ||
| $72,000 | $80,000 | $105,000 |
| Lead/Senior Game Programmer/Engineer | ||
| N/A | $95,000 | $120,000 |
| Technical Director | ||
| N/A | N/A | $140,000 |
Note that there isn’t data for Lead Game Programmers or Technical Directors until they have three to six years of experience. As you may have guessed, programmers are rarely promoted into leadership positions until they have several years of on-the-job experience.
nother way to break down the numbers is to look at each game programmer salary based on job title. This can be more useful (and more realistic) because it gives a salary range. It also separates each job’s title from years of experience, which better reflects the way game programmer careers actually progress. You won’t get promoted just because you’ve been doing the job for a certain amount of time. You get promoted based on the quality of your work, and the amount of responsibility you can handle on a game project.
| Low/year | High/year |
| Game Programmer/Engineer1 | |
| $44,000 | $108,000 |
| Senior Programmer or Lead Programmer2 | |
| $70,000 | $140,000 |
| Technical Director3 | |
| $96,000 | $250,000 |
1 Entry-level game programmers can also be called Associate Programmers, or sometimes Programmer/Analysts. They generally work in a variety of existing code systems, since they’re just learning the ropes.
2 As programmers get more experience, they may take on more responsibility or even start managing a small team. Senior Programmers usually have more responsibility for creating new technology. Lead Programmers usually run a programming team of three or more other programmers.
3 Technical Directors usually manage a team of programmers working on a large or important area of technology. At some studios, they may be responsible for managing an entire programming department.
Other Factors That Affect Game Programmer Salary
The numbers above are averages from many hundreds of programmer salaries, so they’re generalized. Specific programmer salaries have a wide range, due to several factors that affect how much each programmer is paid. The largest influencing factors can include:
- Company or studio size. Larger companies generally have bigger project budgets. That allows them to pay their game programmers higher salaries. For example, GlassDoor.com indicates that some game programmers at Konami and Naughty Dog are paid as much as $115,000/year. That’s 25% more than the top-range programmer salary at most other game studios.
- Education background. The early days of the game industry saw many self-taught programmers. But nowadays, most programmer job descriptions require a Bachelor’s in Computer Science (or a related degree) from a university or college. So getting a degree or certificate in programming from a college or university can be an important step to getting your hands on a nice game programmer salary.
- Premium Engineering Positions. Programmers tend to specialize in different areas, and some areas are worth more than others. It all depends on the needs of the game industry at the time. For instance, GlassDoor.com shows “server programmers” can be paid as high as $126,000/year. Compare that to “mobile programmers,” which average a top salary closer to $70,000/year.
Demand for Game Programmers
The video game industry is a cyclical business. But one job that never goes away is the game programmer. Programmers bring the game design and art to life, so it’s difficult to get anything done without them. And because they need to work closely with the game designers, it’s a difficult job to outsource to other countries.
The chart below illustrates the demand for game programmers, based on the number of monthly job postings that include the terms “game programmer,” “game engineer,” and “game developer” in their description at Indeed.com (a job-posting aggregator).
Note that this approach can sometimes show false positives. For example, a given job posting might actually be for a Game Designer, but it would show up in the data if it mentioned “must work well with game programmers.” But that’s okay for our purposes. We’re interested in the trends, not the absolute numbers.
