Video Game Designers
Information TechnologyO*NET 15-1255.01United States
Design core features of video games. Specify innovative game and role-play mechanics, story lines, and character biographies.
- Median annual earnings
- $97,419
- Projected change
- +11.7%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 128.53K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
55% of the workforce
Growing to 143.53K by 2035
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The work
What video game designers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Balance and adjust gameplay experiences to ensure the critical and commercial success of the product.
- Devise missions, challenges, or puzzles to be encountered in game play.
- Create core game features, including storylines, role-play mechanics, and character biographies for a new video game or game franchise.
- Solicit, obtain, and integrate feedback from design and technical staff into original game design.
- Conduct regular design reviews throughout the game development process.
- Develop and maintain design level documentation, including mechanics, guidelines, and mission outlines.
- Document all aspects of formal game design, using mock-up screenshots, sample menu layouts, gameplay flowcharts, and other graphical devices.
- Provide feedback to designers and other colleagues regarding game design features.
- Create and manage documentation, production schedules, prototyping goals, and communication plans in collaboration with production staff.
- Provide feedback to production staff regarding technical game qualities or adherence to original design.
- Guide design discussions between development teams.
- Create gameplay prototypes for presentation to creative and technical staff and management.
- Present new game design concepts to management and technical colleagues, including artists, animators, and programmers.
- Oversee gameplay testing to ensure intended gaming experience and game adherence to original vision.
- Prepare two-dimensional concept layouts or three-dimensional mock-ups.
- Keep abreast of game design technology and techniques, industry trends, or audience interests, reactions, and needs by reviewing current literature, talking with colleagues, participating in educational programs, attending meetings or workshops, or participating in professional organizations or conferences.
- Review or evaluate competitive products, film, music, television, and other art forms to generate new game design ideas.
- Write or supervise the writing of game text and dialogue.
- Consult with multiple stakeholders to define requirements and implement online features.
- Collaborate with artists to achieve appropriate visual style.
- Prepare and revise initial game sketches using two- and three-dimensional graphical design software.
- Determine supplementary virtual features, such as currency, item catalog, menu design, and audio direction.
- Create gameplay test plans for internal and external test groups.
- Provide test specifications to quality assurance staff.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $49,088
- 25th percentile
- $67,718
- 50th percentile
- $97,419
- 75th percentile
- $150,189
- 90th percentile
- $195,862
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $97,419 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+11.7%faster than average
2025128,526 jobs
2035 projected143,530 jobs
15,004 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 55%
- High school diploma or less
- 25%
- Some college
- 10%
- Associate degree
- 10%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Game Masters477 postings
- 02Game Testers192 postings
- 03Footwear Managers149 postings
- 04Team Members145 postings
- 05Game Designers139 postings
- 06Systems Designers121 postings
- 07Gameplay Engineers77 postings
- 08Learning Experience Designers66 postings
- 09Footwear Designers59 postings
- 10Level Designers57 postings
- 11Innovation Engineers52 postings
- 12Game Programmers48 postings
- 13Narrative Designers47 postings
- 14Lead Game Designers41 postings
- 15Survey Takers38 postings
- 16Game Developers37 postings
- 17Video Game Testers36 postings
- 18Game Hosts33 postings
- 19Lead Visual Designers33 postings
- 20Product Designers28 postings
Top employers
- 01Dick's Sporting Goods330 postings
- 02Skybound Entertainment98 postings
- 03Nike97 postings
- 04Little Wheel77 postings
- 05Yotta Games（友塔游戏）71 postings
- 06Cengage Learning52 postings
- 07GovCIO49 postings
- 08Epic Games43 postings
- 09Canteen Vending42 postings
- 10Electronic Arts41 postings
- 11Apple40 postings
- 12Southern New Hampshire University40 postings
- 13Riot Games38 postings
- 14Breakout Operations Ltd34 postings
- 15Yahoo Holdings30 postings
- 16Sony Interactive Entertainment26 postings
- 17The Escape Game23 postings
- 18Anduril Industries21 postings
- 19Escapology21 postings
- 20Mob Entertainment21 postings
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