Level Up Your Career: 7 Top Jobs For Gaming Enthusiasts

The digital gaming industry is big business. Year on year, the leading brands like Nintendo, Activision Blizzard, and Sony expand their entertainment appeal. Beyond their games, they offer merchandise, film and TV adaptations, membership platforms, gaming tournaments, books, and community conventions. Digital gaming isn’t restricted to one platform either. You can play your favourite game on your computer, mobile phone, or a console like PlayStation. There’s a gaming experience to suit every age group.

And as digital gaming increases its slice of the entertainment pie, there are more and more employment opportunities in this industry. Here are our top seven roles for job seekers who are mad about gaming.

Game Designer

Game designers turn the concept of the game into a workable structure, creating game rules and mechanics. In a smaller team or company, a game designer may be responsible for a broad range of tasks. Working for a larger studio, they may specialise in one area only, such as level design or system mechanics. Game designers may also create the original concept of a game.

The qualifications to work as a game designer vary depending on the seniority of the role and the game itself. In the UK, you’ll generally need a relevant college course or degree, for instance, game design and development, computer science, or creative media. Design qualifications may also be useful. In the US, you’ll need a relevant bachelor’s degree.

A typical salary range for a game designer in the UK is between £18,000 to £65,000. In the US, that salary range is $44,000 to $110,000.

Game Artist

Game artists are the visual storytellers of the gaming world. In smaller studios, a game artist may be expected to juggle character design, texturing, and animation. In larger companies, they may focus on one or two design aspects only, like character models or environmental textures.

To work as a game artist in the UK or US, you’ll generally need a relevant degree, such as game art, digital media, computer graphics, or animation.

In the UK, a typical salary range for a game artist starts at £20,000 and reaches £50,000. In the US, that range is $35,000 to $90,000.

Game Developer

Game developers take the concept and structure created by the game designer and bring it to life using programming languages like C++. Working in a smaller team or company, they’ll often be asked to develop an understanding of how the game structure works as a whole. In a larger studio, they may only be responsible for programming one aspect or level of the game.

To work as a game developer in the UK or the US, you’ll need a degree in a relevant subject like computer game programming, computer science, or software engineering.

A typical salary range for a game developer in the UK is £20,000 to £50,000. In the US, that salary range is $65,000 to $110,000.

Game Tester

While many game studios release beta copies of their games to gather feedback from players, a game tester will first have played and replayed each aspect of the game to identify glitches and bugs, and provide user experience feedback. This is a crucial role in perfecting a game before it is released to the public. Once the game is out in the big wide world, game testers will check that changes made to the game, often called patches, are successful.

You don’t always need a degree to work as a game tester in the UK. A relevant college course may be enough, but some form of computer training is necessary. In the US, you’ll generally need a relevant degree to work as a game tester.

Working as a game tester in the UK, you can typically expect a salary range of £20,000 to £45,000. In the US, that salary range is $25,000 to $80,000.

Animator

Animators breathe life into game visuals, turning character art and landscapes into exciting adventures. Working for a small studio, an animator may work on a wide range of animations. In a larger studio, however, an animator may specialise in one aspect of the game, such as fight moves, cut scenes, or how elements of the landscape move.

To work as a game animator in the UK or the US, you’ll generally need a background in art and design and a relevant degree, for instance, in animation, film and video, or 3D design.

The salary range for a game animator in the UK is £18,000 to £40,000. In the US, that salary range is $50,000 to $80,000.

Game Writer

Game writers create the stories, characters, and dialogue that immerse players in the game world. Working closely with the game designer and artists, game writers craft character personalities and express the lore and culture of a game’s setting. With many game studios moving into other areas of entertainment, a game writer may find themselves also penning books, film scripts, and video scripts.

This non-technical role doesn’t generally need a background in computing. While a relevant degree isn’t always necessary in the UK or US, it will definitely be to your advantage. Relevant topics include English, creative writing, or scriptwriting.

A typical salary in the UK for a game writer is £20,000 to £50,000. In the US, that salary range is $45,000 to $85,000.

Gaming Digital Marketer

A gaming digital marketer creates campaigns that appeal to relevant players. These campaigns might be held in the run up to a game release, during the game launch, or after the game is out in the world. Their aim is to find new players for the game and retain players who already play the game.

While a degree in marketing is useful when applying for a marketing job, it isn’t always necessary in the UK or the US. A solid background and training in marketing, especially if it’s relevant to the gaming industry, may be enough.

In the UK, a typical salary range for a gaming digital marketer is £20,000 to £50,000. In the US, that salary range is $50,000 to $100,000.

Wrapping it up

The world of gaming offers a wide range of exciting career opportunities. Whether you’re passionate about game design, writing, marketing, or testing, there’s a perfect role for you.