Gaming is one of the most popular pastimes today and, not surprisingly, plenty of young people aspire to turn their passion into a career. However, the industry is thriving, and opportunities come with fierce competition. That being said, there’s a never-ending list of paths to take including engineering, designing, managing, and producing. Throughout this article, we’ll tell you about six careers that are perfect for gamers.
#1. Video Game Writer
Video games come in all shapes and sizes, from epic RPGs to life simulators and beyond. Many games are story driven and need people to write everything including the plot, characters, and landscape descriptions. Although not a tech role, game writing forms the foundation for programmers and artists to build on. The average salary for this role is around $92K + bonuses.
#2. Video Game Artist
Once the idea and story are drafted, someone needs to draw the concept designs for the video game – as well as the covers and marketing material. To do this, artists will need experience with graphic design software including Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, and Marmoset Hexels 3. Further, you will need a desktop or laptop with high-quality Lenovo Intel® Arc™ Graphics – follow the link to find out more. Typically, the salary as a game artist comes in at around $91K + bonuses – but commissions can run into the hundreds of thousands.
#3. Programmer and Engineer
With the story and artwork in place, the game needs to be brought to life by programmers and engineers. There are many different roles within this category, but they all have to do with turning physical ideas into digital masterpieces. To enter this field, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree and evidence of writing in specific codes. Depending on the game you’re working on, you’re likely to earn anywhere between $60K and $200K.
#4. Video Game Producer
The producer is responsible for making sure the project stays on track from beginning to end. Essentially, they’re the project managers of the gaming world. Responsibilities in this role include managing the budget, arranging meetings, and communicating with invested parties. Typically, depending on the scope of the project, game producers receive a salary of around $115.
#5. Product Manager
One of the main purposes of a game, from the developer’s perspective, is to earn a profit and continue doing what they love. To get the most out of a project, the product manager works hard liaising with stakeholders and executives to ensure profitability. Again, the salary depends on the size of the project but can be anywhere in the region of $96K to $170K.
#6. Blogger
If you don’t want to be directly involved with video game design and production, you can make money writing about your passion as a blogger. However, you need to keep in mind that there’s fierce competition out there. You don’t need any formal qualifications to do this, but you need to understand how SEO and other features of website design work.
There are countless career opportunities in gaming and those mentioned above barely scratch the surface. If you’re committed and hard-working, your passion can take you anywhere.
